Peptidomimetic modulators of cell adhesion

ABSTRACT

Peptidomimetics of cyclic peptides, and compositions comprising such peptidomimetics are provided. The peptidomimetics have a three-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to a three-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises a cadherin cell adhesion recognition sequence HAV. Methods for using such peptidomimetics for modulating cadherin-mediated cell adhesion in a variety of contexts are also provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/412,701 filed Apr. 9, 2003, now allowed; which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/769,145 filed Jan. 24, 2001, nowabandoned; which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 09/491,078 filed Jan. 24, 2000, now abandoned, whichapplications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

STATEMENT REGARDING SEQUENCE LISTING

The Sequence Listing associated with this application is provided intext format in lieu of a paper copy, and is hereby incorporated byreference into the specification. The name of the text file containingthe Sequence Listing is 100086_(—)413C3_SEQUENCE_LISTING.txt. The textfile is 48 KB, was created on Jun. 12, 2007, and is being submittedelectronically via EFS-Web, concurrent with the filing of thespecification.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to methods for modulating celladhesion, and more particularly to peptidomimetics of cyclic peptidescomprising a cadherin cell adhesion recognition sequence, and to the useof such peptidomimetics for inhibiting or enhancing cadherin-mediatedcell adhesion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cell adhesion is a complex process that is important for maintainingtissue integrity and generating physical and permeability barrierswithin the body. All tissues are divided into discrete compartments,each of which is composed of a specific cell type that adheres tosimilar cell types. Such adhesion triggers the formation ofintercellular junctions (i.e., readily definable contact sites on thesurfaces of adjacent cells that are adhering to one another), also knownas tight junctions, gap junctions and belt desmosomes. The formation ofsuch junctions gives rise to physical and permeability barriers thatrestrict the free passage of cells and other biological substances fromone tissue compartment to another. For example, the blood vessels of alltissues are composed of endothelial cells. In order for components inthe blood to enter a given tissue compartment, they must first pass fromthe lumen of a blood vessel through the barrier formed by theendothelial cells of that vessel. Similarly, in order for substances toenter the body via the gut, the substances must first pass through abarrier formed by the epithelial cells of that tissue. To enter theblood via the skin, both epithelial and endothelial cell layers must becrossed.

Cell adhesion is mediated by specific cell surface adhesion molecules(CAMs). There are many different families of CAMs, including theimmunoglobulin, integrin, selectin and cadherin superfamilies, and eachcell type expresses a unique combination of these molecules. Cadherinsare a rapidly expanding family of calcium-dependent CAMs (Munro et al.,In: Cell Adhesion and Invasion in Cancer Metastasis, P. Brodt, ed., pp.17-34, R G Landes Co. (Austin Tex., 1996). The classical cadherins(abbreviated CADs) are integral membrane glycoproteins that generallypromote cell adhesion through homophilic interactions (a CAD on thesurface of one cell binds to an identical CAD on the surface of anothercell), although CADs also appear to be capable of forming heterotypiccomplexes with one another under certain circumstances and with loweraffinity. Cadherins have been shown to regulate epithelial, endothelial,neural and cancer cell adhesion, with different CADs expressed ondifferent cell types. N (neural)-cadherin is predominantly expressed byneural cells, endothelial cells and a variety of cancer cell types. E(epithelial)-cadherin is predominantly expressed by epithelial cells.Other CADs are P (placental)-cadherin, which is found in human skin andR (retinal)-cadherin. A detailed discussion of the classical cadherinsis provided in Munro S B et al., 1996, In: Cell Adhesion and Invasion inCancer Metastasis, P. Brodt, ed., pp. 17-34 (R G Landes Company, AustinTex.).

The structures of the CADs are generally similar. As illustrated in FIG.1, CADs are composed of five extracellular domains (EC1-EC5), a singlehydrophobic domain (TM) that transverses the plasma membrane (PM), andtwo cytoplasmic domains (CP1 and CP2). The calcium binding motifs DXNDN(SEQ ID NO:8), DXD and LDRE (SEQ ID NO:9) are interspersed throughoutthe extracellular domains. The first extracellular domain (EC1) containsthe classical cadherin cell adhesion recognition (CAR) sequence, HAV(His-Ala-Val), along with flanking sequences on either side of the CARsequence that may play a role in conferring specificity. Syntheticpeptides containing the CAR sequence and antibodies directed against theCAR sequence have been shown to inhibit CAD-dependent processes (Munroet al., supra; Blaschuk et al., J. Mol. Biol. 211:679-82, 1990; Blaschuket al., Develop. Biol. 139:227-29, 1990; Alexander et al., J. Cell.Physiol. 156:610-18, 1993). The three-dimensional solution and crystalstructures of the EC1 domain have been determined (Overduin et al.,Science 267:386-389, 1995; Shapiro et al., Nature 374:327-337, 1995).

Although cell adhesion is required for certain normal physiologicalfunctions, there are situations in which cell adhesion is undesirable.For example, many pathologies (such as autoimmune and inflammatorydiseases) involve abnormal cellular adhesion. Cell adhesion may alsoplay a role in graft rejection. In such circumstances, modulation ofcell adhesion may be desirable.

In addition, permeability barriers arising from cell adhesion createdifficulties for the delivery of drugs to specific tissues and tumorswithin the body. For example, skin patches are a convenient tool foradministering drugs through the skin. However, the use of skin patcheshas been limited to small, hydrophobic molecules because of theepithelial and endothelial cell barriers. Similarly, endothelial cellsrender the blood capillaries largely impermeable to drugs, and theblood/brain barrier has hampered the targeting of drugs to the centralnervous system. In addition, many solid tumors develop internal barriersthat limit the delivery of anti-tumor drugs and antibodies to innercells.

Attempts to facilitate the passage of drugs across such barriersgenerally rely on specific receptors or carrier proteins that transportmolecules across barriers in vivo. However, such methods are ofteninefficient, due to low endogenous transport rates or to the poorfunctioning of a carrier protein with drugs. While improved efficiencyhas been achieved using a variety of chemical agents that disrupt celladhesion, such agents are typically associated with undesirableside-effects, may require invasive procedures for administration and mayresult in irreversible effects. It has been suggested that linearsynthetic peptides containing a cadherin CAR sequence may be employedfor drug transport (WO 91/04745), but such peptides are oftenmetabolically unstable and are generally considered to be poortherapeutic agents. Peptide agents are generally unsuitable for oraladministration.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for compounds that modulate celladhesion and improve drug delivery across permeability barriers withoutsuch disadvantages. The present invention fulfills this need and furtherprovides other related advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides peptidomimetics of cyclic peptidescomprising classical cadherin cell adhesion recognition (CAR) sequences,as well as methods for modulating cadherin-mediated cell adhesion.Within certain aspects, the present invention provides cell adhesionmodulating agents that comprise a structure shown in any one of FIG. 11,13, 15A-15BG, 17A-17J, 18A-18E, 19A-19E, 21A-21N, 22A-22H, 23A-23F,24A-24C, 29A-29G, or 31A-31AI. In specific embodiments, a cell adhesionmodulating agent comprises a structure provided as any one of compounds1-12.

Within further aspects, methods are provided for screening a candidatecompound for the ability to modulate classical cadherin-mediated celladhesion, comprising comparing a three-dimensional structure of acandidate compound to a three-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptidethat comprises the sequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring,wherein similarity between the structure of the candidate compound andthe structure of the cyclic peptide is indicative of the ability of thecandidate compound to modulate classical cadherin-mediated celladhesion. Within certain embodiments, the cyclic peptide has theformula:

wherein X₁, and X₂ are independently selected from the group consistingof amino acid residues, with a covalent bond formed between residues X₁and X₂; and wherein Y₁ and Y₂ are optional and, if present, areindependently selected from the group consisting of amino acid residuesand combinations thereof in which the residues are linked by peptidebonds. Such cyclic peptides include N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10),N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20), N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81) andN—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36). The step of comparing may be performed,for example, visually or computationally. The candidate compound may,for example, be selected from a database of three-dimensionalstructures, and the three-dimensional structures of a candidate compoundmay be determined experimentally or may be computer-generated.

Within further aspects, methods are provided for screening a candidatecompound for the ability to modulate classical cadherin-mediated celladhesion, comprising comparing a two-dimensional structure of acandidate agent to a two-dimensional structure of a compound identifiedusing a method as described above, wherein similarity between thestructure of the candidate agent and the structure of the compound isindicative of the ability of the candidate agent to modulate classicalcadherin-mediated cell adhesion.

Methods are further provided, within other aspects, for identifying acompound that modulates classical cadherin-mediated cell adhesion,comprising: (a) determining a level of similarity between athree-dimensional structure of a candidate compound and athree-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises thesequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring; and (b) identifyingan alteration in the structure of the candidate compound that results ina three-dimensional structure with an increased similarity to thethree-dimensional structure of the cyclic peptide. Certain such methodsfurther comprise a step of identifying a second alteration in thestructure of the candidate compound that results in a three-dimensionalstructure with a further increased similarity to the three-dimensionalstructure of the cyclic peptide. The alteration may result, for example,in a change in one or more parameters selected from the group consistingof hydrophobicity, steric bulk, electrostatic properties, size and bondangle.

The present invention further provides a machine-readable data storagemedium, comprising a data storage material encoded with a set of NMRderived coordinates that define a three-dimensional structure of acyclic peptide having the formula:

wherein X₁, and X₂ are independently selected from the group consistingof amino acid residues, with a covalent bond formed between residues X₁and X₂; and wherein Y₁ and Y₂ are optional and, if present, areindependently selected from the group consisting of amino acid residuesand combinations thereof in which the residues are linked by peptidebonds. Within certain embodiments, the cyclic peptide is N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂(SEQ ID NO:10), N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20), N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:81) or N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36).

The present invention further provides, within other aspects, methodsfor modulating classical cadherin-mediated intercellular adhesion,comprising contacting a classical cadherin-expressing cell with a celladhesion modulating agent that comprises a peptidomimetic having athree-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to athree-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises thesequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring. Certain specificcyclic peptides are as described above. Within certain embodiments, thepeptidomimetic is a compound having a structure provided in any one ofFIG. 11, 13, 15A-15BG, 17A-17J, 18A-18E or 19A-19E, 21A-21N, 22A-22H,23A-23F, 24A-24C, 29A-29G, 31A-31AI. The cell adhesion modulating agentmay be present within a pharmaceutical composition comprising aphysiologically acceptable carrier.

Methods are further provided for reducing unwanted cellular adhesion ina mammal, comprising administering to a mammal a cell adhesionmodulating agent that inhibits cadherin-mediated cell adhesion, whereinthe modulating agent comprises a peptidomimetic having athree-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to athree-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises thesequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring. Certain specificcyclic peptides are as described above. Within certain embodiments, thepeptidomimetic is a compound having a structure provided in any one ofFIG. 11, 13, 15A-15BG, 17A-17J, 18A-18E or 19A-19E, 21A-21N, 22A-22H,23A-23F, 24A-24C, 29A-29G, 31A-31AI. The cell adhesion modulating agentmay be present within a pharmaceutical composition comprising aphysiologically acceptable carrier. The cell adhesion modulating agentmay, but need not, be linked to a targeting agent.

Within further aspects, methods are provided for enhancing the deliveryof a drug to a tumor in a mammal, comprising administering to a mammal:(a) a cell adhesion modulating agent that inhibits cadherin-mediatedcell adhesion, wherein the modulating agent comprises a peptidomimetichaving a three-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to athree-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises thesequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring; and (b) a drug.Certain specific cyclic peptides are as described above. Within certainembodiments, the peptidomimetic is a compound having a structureprovided in any one of FIGS. 11, 13, 15A-15BG, 17A-17J, 18A-18E,19A-19E, 21A-21N, 22A-22H, 23A-23F, 24A-24C, 29A-29G, 31A-31AI. The celladhesion modulating agent may be present within a pharmaceuticalcomposition comprising a physiologically acceptable carrier. The celladhesion modulating agent may, but need not, be linked to a targetingagent and/or to the drug. Tumors include, for example, bladder tumors,ovarian tumors and melanomas. Modulating agent may be administered tothe tumor or systemically.

Methods are also provided, within further aspects, for inhibiting thedevelopment of a cancer in a mammal, comprising administering to amammal a cell adhesion modulating agent that inhibits cadherin-mediatedcell adhesion, wherein the modulating agent comprises a peptidomimetichaving a three-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to athree-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises thesequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring. Certain specificcyclic peptides are as described above. Within certain embodiments, thepeptidomimetic is a compound having a structure provided in any one ofFIG. 11, 13, 15A-15BG, 17A-17J, 18A-18E or 19A-19E, 21A-21N, 22A-22H,23A-23F, 24A-24C, 29A-29G, 31A-31AI. The cell adhesion modulating agentmay be present within a pharmaceutical composition comprising aphysiologically acceptable carrier. The cell adhesion modulating agentmay, but need not, be linked to a targeting agent and/or to the drug.Cancers include, for example, carcinomas, leukemias and melanomas.

The present invention further provides methods for inhibitingangiogenesis in a mammal, comprising administering to a mammal amodulating agent that inhibits cadherin-mediated cell adhesion, whereinthe modulating agent comprises a peptidomimetic having athree-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to athree-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises thesequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring. Certain specificcyclic peptides are as described above. Within certain embodiments, thepeptidomimetic is a compound having a structure provided in any one ofFIG. 11, 13, 15A-15BG, 17A-17J, 18A-18E or 19A-19E, 21A-21N, 22A-22H,23A-23F, 24A-24C, 29A-29G, 31A-31AI. The cell adhesion modulating agentmay be present within a pharmaceutical composition comprising aphysiologically acceptable carrier. The cell adhesion modulating agentmay, but need not, be linked to a targeting agent. Cancers include, forexample, carcinomas, leukemias and melanomas.

Methods are further provided for enhancing drug delivery to the centralnervous system of a mammal, comprising administering to a mammal amodulating agent that inhibits cadherin-mediated cell adhesion, whereinthe modulating agent comprises a peptidomimetic having athree-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to athree-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises thesequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring. Certain specificcyclic peptides are as described above. Within certain embodiments, thepeptidomimetic is a compound having a structure provided in any one ofFIGS. 11, 13, 15A-15BG, 17A-17J, 18A-18E, 19A-19E, 21A-21N, 22A-22H,23A-23F, 24A-24C, 29A-29G, 31A-31AI. The cell adhesion modulating agentmay be present within a pharmaceutical composition comprising aphysiologically acceptable carrier. The cell adhesion modulating agentmay, but need not, be linked to a targeting agent and/or a drug.

The present invention further provides methods for enhancing woundhealing in a mammal, comprising contacting a wound in a mammal with amodulating agent that enhances cadherin-mediated cell adhesion, whereinthe modulating agent comprises a peptidomimetic having athree-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to athree-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises thesequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring. Certain specificcyclic peptides are as described above. Within certain embodiments, thepeptidomimetic is a compound having a structure provided in any one ofFIGS. 11, 13, 15A-15BG, 17A-17J, 18A-18E, 19A-19E, 21A-21N, 22A-22H,23A-23F, 24A-24C, 29A-29G, 31A-31AI. The cell adhesion modulating agentmay be present within a pharmaceutical composition comprising aphysiologically acceptable carrier. The cell adhesion modulating agentmay, but need not, be linked to a targeting agent and/or a supportmaterial.

Methods are further provided for enhancing adhesion of foreign tissueimplanted within a mammal, comprising contacting a site of implantationof foreign tissue in a mammal with a modulating agent that enhancescadherin-mediated cell adhesion, wherein the modulating agent comprisesa peptidomimetic having a three-dimensional structure that issubstantially similar to a three-dimensional structure of a cyclicpeptide that comprises the sequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptidering. Certain specific cyclic peptides are as described above. Withincertain embodiments, the peptidomimetic is a compound having a structureprovided in any one of FIGS. 11, 13, 15A-15BG, 17A-17J, 18A-18E,19A-19E, 21A-21N, 22A-22H, 23A-23F, 24A-24C, 29A-29G, 31A-31AI. The celladhesion modulating agent may be present within a pharmaceuticalcomposition comprising a physiologically acceptable carrier. The celladhesion modulating agent may, but need not, be linked to a targetingagent and/or a support material.

The present invention further provides methods for modulating the immunesystem of a mammal, comprising administering to a mammal a cell adhesionmodulating agent that inhibits cadherin-mediated cell adhesion, whereinthe modulating agent comprises a peptidomimetic having athree-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to athree-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises thesequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring. Certain specificcyclic peptides are as described above. Within certain embodiments, thepeptidomimetic is a compound having a structure provided in any one ofFIGS. 11, 13, 15A-15BG, 17A-17J, 18A-18E, 19A-19E, 221A-21N, 22A-22H,23A-23F, 24A-24C, 29A-29G, 31A-31AI. The cell adhesion modulating agentmay be present within a pharmaceutical composition comprising aphysiologically acceptable carrier. The cell adhesion modulating agentmay, but need not, be linked to a targeting agent.

Methods are further provided, within other aspects, for increasingvasopermeability in a mammal, comprising administering to a mammal acell adhesion modulating agent that inhibits cadherin-mediated celladhesion, wherein the modulating agent comprises a peptidomimetic havinga three-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to athree-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises thesequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring. Certain specificcyclic peptides are as described above. Within certain embodiments, thepeptidomimetic is a compound having a structure provided in any one ofFIGS. 11, 13, 15A-15BG, 17A-17J, 18A-18E, 19A-19E, 21A-21N, 22A-22H,23A-23F, 24A-24C, 29A-29G, 31A-31AI. The cell adhesion modulating agentmay be present within a pharmaceutical composition comprising aphysiologically acceptable carrier.

Within other aspects, the present invention provides methods fortreating a demyelinating neurological disease, such as multiplesclerosis, in a mammal, comprising administering to a mammal: (a) a celladhesion modulating agent that inhibits cadherin-mediated cell adhesion,wherein the modulating agent comprises a peptidomimetic having athree-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to athree-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises thesequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring; and (b) one or morecells capable of replenishing an oligodendrocyte population. Certainspecific cyclic peptides are as described above. Within certainembodiments, the peptidomimetic is a compound having a structureprovided in any one of FIGS. 11, 13, 15A-15BG, 17A-17J, 18A-18E,19A-19E, 21A-21N, 22A-22H, 23A-23F, 24A-24C, 29A-29G, 31A-31AI. The celladhesion modulating agent may be present within a pharmaceuticalcomposition comprising a physiologically acceptable carrier. Themodulating agent may, but need not, be linked to a targeting agentand/or a drug. Suitable cells include, for example, Schwann cells,oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and oligodendrocytes.

Methods are further provided, within other aspects, for facilitatingmigration of an N-cadherin expressing cell on astrocytes, comprisingcontacting an N-cadherin expressing cell with: (a) a cell adhesionmodulating agent that inhibits cadherin-mediated cell adhesion, whereinthe modulating agent comprises a peptidomimetic having athree-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to athree-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises thesequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring; and (b) one or moreastrocytes. Certain specific cyclic peptides are as described above.Within certain embodiments, the peptidomimetic is a compound having astructure provided in any one of FIGS. 11, 13, 15A-15BG, 17A-17J,18A-18E, 19A-19E, 21A-21N, 22A-22H, 23A-23F, 24A-24C, 29A-29G, 31A-31AI.The cell adhesion modulating agent may be present within apharmaceutical composition comprising a physiologically acceptablecarrier. The agent may, but need not, be linked to a targeting agent.The N-cadherin expressing cells may be, for example, a Schwann cell,oligodendrocyte progenitor cell or oligodendrocyte.

The present invention further provides methods for inhibiting synapticstability in a mammal, comprising administering to a mammal a celladhesion modulating agent that inhibits cadherin-mediated cell adhesion,wherein the modulating agent comprises a peptidomimetic having athree-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to athree-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises thesequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring. Certain specificcyclic peptides are as described above. Within certain embodiments, thepeptidomimetic is a compound having a structure provided in any one ofFIGS. 11, 13, 15A-15BG, 17A-17J, 18A-18E, 19A-19E, 21A-21N, 22A-22H,23A-23F, 24A-24C, 29A-29G, 31A-31AI. The cell adhesion modulating agentmay be present within a pharmaceutical composition comprising aphysiologically acceptable carrier.

Within further aspects, methods are provided for modulating neuriteoutgrowth, comprising contacting a neuron with a modulating agent thatcomprises a peptidomimetic having a three-dimensional structure that issubstantially similar to a three-dimensional structure of a cyclicpeptide that comprises the sequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptidering. Certain specific cyclic peptides are as described above. Withincertain embodiments, the peptidomimetic is a compound having a structureprovided in any one of FIGS. 11, 13, 15A-15BG, 17A-17J, 18A-18E,19A-19E, 21A-21N, 22A-22H, 23A-23F, 24A-24C, 29A-29G, 31A-31AI. The celladhesion modulating agent may be present within a pharmaceuticalcomposition comprising a physiologically acceptable carrier. The agentmay, but need not, be linked to a targeting agent and/or a drug. Neuriteoutgrowth may, within different embodiments, be inhibited or enhanced,and/or may be directed.

The present invention further provides, within other aspects, methodsfor treating spinal cord injuries in a mammal, comprising administeringto a mammal a cell adhesion modulating agent that enhances neuriteoutgrowth, wherein the modulating agent comprises a peptidomimetichaving a three-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to athree-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises thesequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring. Certain specificcyclic peptides are as described above. Within certain embodiments, thepeptidomimetic is a compound having a structure provided in any one ofFIGS. 11, 13, 15A-15BG, 17A-17J, 18A-18E, 19A-19E, 21A-21N, 22A-22H,23A-23F, 24A-24C, 29A-29G, 31A-31AI. The cell adhesion modulating agentmay be present within a pharmaceutical composition comprising aphysiologically acceptable carrier. The agent may, but need not, belinked to a targeting agent and/or a drug. Neurite outgrowth may, withindifferent embodiments, be inhibited or enhanced, and/or directed.

Within other aspects, methods are provided for treating maculardegeneration in a mammal, comprising administering to a mammal a celladhesion modulating agent that enhances classical cadherin-mediated celladhesion, wherein the modulating agent comprises a peptidomimetic havinga three-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to athree-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises thesequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring. Certain specificcyclic peptides are as described above. Within certain embodiments, thepeptidomimetic is a compound having a structure provided in any one ofFIGS. 11, 13, 15A-15BG, 17A-17J, 18A-18E, 19A-19E, 21A-21N, 22A-22H,23A-23F, 24A-24C, 29A-29G, 31A-31AI. The cell adhesion modulating agentmay be present within a pharmaceutical composition comprising aphysiologically acceptable carrier. The agent may, but need not, belinked to a targeting agent and/or a drug.

Within further aspects, kits are provided for administering a drug viathe skin of a mammal, comprising: (a) a skin patch; and (b) a celladhesion modulating agent comprising a peptidomimetic having athree-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to athree-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises thesequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring. Certain specificcyclic peptides are as described above. Within certain embodiments, thepeptidomimetic is a compound having a structure provided in any one ofFIGS. 11, 13, 15A-15BG, 17A-17J, 18A-18E, 19A-19E, 21A-21N, 22A-22H,23A-23F, 24A-24C, 29A-29G, 31A-31AI.

Methods are further provided for evaluating a peptidomimetic for theability to modulate classical cadherin-mediated cell adhesion. Certainsuch methods comprise: (a) culturing neurons on a monolayer of cellsthat express N-cadherin in the presence and absence of a peptidomimetic,under conditions and for a time sufficient to allow neurite outgrowth,wherein the peptidomimetic has a three-dimensional structure that issubstantially similar to a three-dimensional structure of a cyclicpeptide that comprises the sequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptidering; (b) determining a mean neurite length for said neurons; and (c)comparing the mean neurite length for neurons cultured in the presenceof peptidomimetic to the neurite length for neurons cultured in theabsence of the peptidomimetic, and therefrom determining whether thepeptidomimetic modulates classical cadherin-mediated cell adhesion.

Within further aspects, other such methods comprise: (a) culturing cellsthat express a classical cadherin in the presence and absence of apeptidomimetic, under conditions and for a time sufficient to allow celladhesion, wherein the peptidomimetic has a three-dimensional structurethat is substantially similar to a three-dimensional structure of acyclic peptide that comprises the sequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclicpeptide ring; and (b) visually evaluating the extent of cell adhesionamong said cells, and therefrom identifying a peptidomimetic capable ofmodulating cell adhesion. The cells may be, for example, endothelial,epithelial or cancer cells.

Still further such methods comprise: (a) culturing NRK cells in thepresence and absence of a peptidomimetic, under conditions and for atime sufficient to allow cell adhesion, wherein the peptidomimetic has athree-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to athree-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises thesequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring; and (b) comparing thelevel of cell surface E-cadherin for cells cultured in the presence ofthe peptidomimetic to the level for cells cultured in the absence of thepeptidomimetic, and therefrom determining whether the peptidomimeticmodulates cell adhesion.

Still further such methods comprise: (a) contacting an epithelialsurface of skin with a test marker in the presence and absence of apeptidomimetic, wherein the peptidomimetic has a three-dimensionalstructure that is substantially similar to a three-dimensional structureof a cyclic peptide that comprises the sequence His-Ala-Val within acyclic peptide ring; and (b) comparing the amount of test marker thatpasses through said skin in the presence of the peptidomimetic to theamount that passes through skin in the absence of the peptidomimetic,and therefrom determining whether the peptidomimetic modulates celladhesion.

Within further such aspects, the methods comprise: (a) contacting ablood vessel with a peptidomimetic, wherein the peptidomimetic has athree-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to athree-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide that comprises thesequence His-Ala-Val within a cyclic peptide ring; and (b) comparing theextent of angiogenesis of the blood vessel to a predetermined extent ofangiogenesis observed for a blood vessel in the absence of thepeptidomimetic, and therefrom determining whether the peptidomimeticmodulates cell adhesion.

These and other aspects of the invention will become evident uponreference to the following detailed description and attached drawings.All references disclosed herein are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety as if each were individually noted for incorporation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting the structure of classical CADs. The fiveextracellular domains are designated EC1-EC5, the hydrophobic domainthat transverses the plasma membrane (PM) is represented by TM, and thetwo cytoplasmic domains are represented by CP1 and CP2. The calciumbinding motifs are shown by DXNDN (SEQ ID NO:8), DXD, LDRE (SEQ IDNO:9), XDXE (SEQ ID NO:79) and DVNE (SEQ ID NO:80). The CAR sequence,HAV, is shown within EC1. Cytoplasmic proteins β-catenin (β), α-catenin(α) and α-actinin (ACT), which mediate the interaction between CADs andmicrofilaments (MF) are also shown.

FIG. 2 provides the amino acid sequences of mammalian classical cadherinEC1 domains: human N-cadherin (SEQ ID NO:1), mouse N-cadherin (SEQ IDNO:2), cow N-cadherin (SEQ ID NO:3), human P-cadherin (SEQ ID NO:4),mouse P-cadherin (SEQ ID NO:5), human E-cadherin (SEQ ID NO:6) and mouseE-cadherin (SEQ ID NO:7).

FIGS. 3A-3I provides the structures of representative cyclic peptidescomprising a classical cadherin CAR sequence (structures on the lefthand side; SEQ ID Nos. 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32,34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46 and 48), along with similar, but inactive,structures (on the right; SEQ ID Nos. 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25,27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47 and 49).

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate representative backbone modifications thatmay be present within a peptidomimetic.

FIG. 5 illustrates representative unusual amino acids and dipeptidesurrogates that may be incorporated into a peptidomimetic.

FIG. 6 illustrates representative secondary structure mimics that may beincorporated into a peptidomimetic.

FIGS. 7A-7C depict the high resolution molecular map of thepharmacophore of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10). The three low energyconformations whose three dimensional structures most closely mimic theexperimentally determined NOESY data are indicated as Structure 1 (FIG.7A), Structure 2 (FIG. 7B) and Structure 3 (FIG. 7C).

FIGS. 8A and 8B depict the 3-D conformation of the pharmacophore HAV ofN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (FIG. 8A; SEQ ID NO:10) compared to the HAV depicted inthe x-ray structures of N-cadherin (FIG. 8B).

FIGS. 9A-9D depict the four low energy conformations of the highresolution molecular map of the pharmacophore of N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQID NO:81).

FIG. 10 depicts the overlap of the 3-D conformation of the pharmacophoreHAV of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) with the pharmacophore HAV ofN—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81).

FIG. 11 depicts structures of representative peptidomimetics (compounds1-3).

FIG. 12A depicts a cyclization scheme based upon the three-dimensionalsolution conformation of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) and itssolution-activity relationships.

FIG. 12B presents the structure of compound 4 and a low energyconformation of compound 4 derived from cyclization of a key element ofN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10).

FIG. 12C presents a comparison of the three dimensional structure of therepresentative peptidomimetic compound 4 with the three dimensionalstructure of the HAV region of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10).

FIG. 12D depicts structures of representative peptidomimetics designedby replacing the disulfide bond of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) with athioether bond.

FIGS. 13A-13B depict representative peptidomimetics derived from librarysynthesis using hydantoin or oxopiperazine backbones (compounds 5-12).

FIGS. 14A-14C illustrate the pharmacophore queries derived from thepharmacophore in N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10), and used in chemicaldatabase searches. FIG. 14A depicts the three dimensional structure ofthe HAV region of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10), with distances used inthe pharmacophore queries indicated. FIGS. 14B and 14C depict the fivepharmacophore queries derived from the pharmacophore in N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂(SEQ ID NO:10) and used in chemical database searches.

FIGS. 15A-15BG depict structures of representative non-peptidylanalogues of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) derived from 3D-pharmacophoredatabase searching using the pharmacophore queries depicted in FIGS.14A-14C (compounds 13-282).

FIG. 16 depicts a pharmacophore query derived from the pharmacophore inN—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81) and used in chemical database searches.

FIGS. 17A-17J depict structures of representative non-peptidyl analoguesof N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81) derived from 3D-pharmacophoredatabase searching using the pharmacophore query depicted in FIG. 16(compounds 283-311).

FIGS. 18A-18E depict structures of representative non-peptidyl analoguesof the active compound 35, as identified by a two-dimensional similaritysearch (compounds 312-331).

FIGS. 19A-19E depict structures of representative non-peptidyl analoguesof the active compound 47, as identified by a two-dimensional similaritysearch (compounds 332-344).

FIGS. 20A-20D depict the four low energy conformations of the highresolution molecular map of the pharmacophore of N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:20).

FIGS. 21A-21N depict further structures of representative non-peptidylanalogues of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) derived from 3D-pharmacophoredatabase searching using the pharmacophore queries depicted in FIGS.14A-14C (compounds 345-399).

FIGS. 22A-22H depict structures of representative non-peptidyl analoguesof the active compound 65, as identified by a two-dimensional similaritysearch.

FIGS. 23A-23F depict structures of representative non-peptidyl analoguesof the active compound 184, as identified by a two-dimensionalsimilarity search (compounds 400-433).

FIG. 24A-24C shows the structures of thioether analogues ofN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂. (SEQ ID NO:10).

FIG. 25A depicts the lowest energy conformation of CH₂COHAVC—NH₂—(SEQ IDNO:94).

FIG. 25B depicts the conformation of CH₂COHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:94) withthe lowest RMS deviation from solution 3D conformations ofN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) depicted in FIGS. 7A and 7B.

FIG. 25C depicts the conformation of CH₂COHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:94) withthe lowest RMS deviation from the solution 3D conformation ofN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) depicted in FIG. 7C.

FIG. 26A depicts the lowest energy conformation of CH₂COGHAVC—NH₂ (SEQID NO:95).

FIG. 26B depicts the conformation of CH₂COGHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:95) withthe lowest RMS deviation from solution 3D conformations ofN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) depicted in FIGS. 7A and 7B.

FIG. 26C depicts the conformation of CH₂COGHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:95) withthe lowest RMS deviation from the solution 3D conformation ofN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) as depicted in FIG. 7C.

FIG. 27A depicts the lowest energy conformation of CH₂CONHAVC—NH₂ (SEQID NO:96) which also has the lowest RMS deviation from the solution 3Dconformation of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) as depicted in FIG. 7B.

FIG. 27B depicts the conformation of CH₂CONHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:96) withthe lowest RMS deviation from solution 3D conformations ofN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) depicted in FIG. 7A.

FIG. 27C depicts the conformation of CH₂CONHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:96) withthe lowest RMS deviation from the solution 3D conformation ofN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) as depicted in FIG. 7C.

FIG. 28 depicts a second pharmacophore query derived from thepharmacophore in N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81) and used in chemicaldatabase searches.

FIG. 29A-29G depicts structures of representative non-peptidyl analoguesof N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81) derived from 3D-pharmacophoredatabase searching using the pharmacophore query depicted in FIG. 25(compounds 465-481).

FIG. 30 illustrates the pharmacophore queries derived from thepharmacophore in N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20) and used in chemicaldatabase searches.

FIGS. 31A-31AI depict structures of representative non-peptidylanalogues of N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20) derived from3D-pharmacophore database searching using the pharmacophore queriesdepicted in FIG. 30 (compounds 482-593).

FIGS. 32A-32B depict the two low energy conformations of the highresolution map of the pharmacophore of N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As noted above, the present invention provides cell adhesion modulatingagents comprising peptidomimetics that are capable of modulatingclassical cadherin-mediated processes, such as cell adhesion. Thepeptidomimetics provided herein may be peptide or non-peptidyl analoguesof cyclic peptides that contain the classical cadherin cell adhesionrecognition (CAR) sequence HAV (i.e., His-Ala-Val) within the peptidering. Peptidomimetics do not contain the sequence HAV (although apeptidomimetic may contain a portion of this sequence), butsubstantially retain the three-dimensional conformation of such a cyclicpeptide, as well as the ability to modulate a classicalcadherin-mediated process.

Certain modulating agents described herein inhibit cell adhesion. Suchmodulating agents may generally be used, for example, to treat diseasesor other conditions characterized by undesirable cell adhesion or tofacilitate drug delivery to a specific tissue or tumor. Alternatively,certain modulating agents may be used to enhance cell adhesion (e.g., tosupplement or replace stitches or to facilitate wound healing) or toenhance or direct neurite outgrowth.

Cyclic Peptides

Peptidomimetics provided herein are derived from cyclic peptides. Suchcyclic peptides are generally as described in PCT publication WO98/02452. The term “cyclic peptide,” as used herein, refers to a peptideor salt thereof that comprises (1) an intramolecular covalent bondbetween two non-adjacent residues and (2) at least one classicalcadherin cell adhesion recognition (CAR) sequence HAV (His-Ala-Val). Theintramolecular bond may be a backbone to backbone, side-chain tobackbone or side-chain to side-chain bond (i.e., terminal functionalgroups of a linear peptide and/or side chain functional groups of aterminal or interior residue may be linked to achieve cyclization).Preferred intramolecular bonds include, but are not limited to,disulfide, amide and thioether bonds. Preferred cyclic peptides for usein designing a peptidomimetic satisfy the formula:

wherein X₁, and X₂ are independently selected from the group consistingof amino acid residues, with a covalent bond formed between residues X₁and X₂; and wherein Y₁ and Y₂ are optional and, if present, areindependently selected from the group consisting of amino acid residuesand combinations thereof in which the residues are linked by peptidebonds.

Within certain embodiments, a cyclic peptide preferably comprises anN-acetyl group (i.e., the amino group present on the amino terminalresidue of the peptide prior to cyclization is acetylated) or anN-formyl group (i.e., the amino group present on the amino terminalresidue of the peptide prior to cyclization is formylated), or the aminogroup present on the amino terminal residue of the peptide prior tocyclization is mesylated. It has been found, within the context of thepresent invention, that the presence of such terminal groups may enhancecyclic peptide activity for certain applications. One particularlypreferred cyclic peptide is N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10). Anotherpreferred cyclic peptide is N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81), andN—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20) and N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36) arealso preferred. Other cyclic peptides include, but are not limited to:N—Ac—CHAVDIC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:50), N—Ac—CHAVDINC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:51),N—Ac—CHAVDINGC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:76), N—Ac—CAHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:22),N—Ac—CAHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:26), N—Ac—CAHAVDIC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:24),N—Ac—CRAHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:28), N—Ac—CLRAHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:30),N—Ac—CLRAHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:32), N—Ac—CFSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:82),N—Ac—CLFSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:83), N—Ac—CHAVSC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:38),N—Ac—CSHAVSC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:40), N—Ac—CSHAVSSC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:42),N—Ac—CHAVSSC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:44), N—Ac—KHAVD-NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:12),N—Ac—DHAVK—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:14), N—Ac—KHAVE-NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:16),N—Ac-AHAVD-NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:34), N—Ac—SHAVDSS—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:77),N—Ac—KSHAVSSD-NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:48), N—Ac—CHAVC—S—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:84),N—Ac—S—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:85), N—Ac—CHAVC—SS—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:86),N—Ac—S—CHAVC—S—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:87), N—Ac—CHAVC-T-NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:88),N—Ac—CHAVC-E-NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:89), N—Ac—CHAVC-D-NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:90),N—Ac—CHAVYC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:91), CH₃—SO₂—HN—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81;formed by mesylation of N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81)),CH₃—SO₂—HN—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10; formed by mesylation ofN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10)), HC(O)—NH—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10; formedby formylation of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10)), N—Ac—CHAVPen-NH₂ (SEQID NO:68), N—Ac—PenHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:92) and N—Ac—CHAVPC—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:93). In the foregoing cyclic peptides, the underlined portion iscyclized, “Pen” is penicillamine, “N—Ac” indicates an acetylatedN-terminal amino group, and “NH” indicates the terminal amino group inwhich N is covalently linked to hydrogen.

In addition to the CAR sequence(s), cyclic peptides generally compriseat least one additional residue, such that the size of the cyclicpeptide ring ranges from 4 to about 15 residues, preferably from 5 to 10residues. Such additional residue(s) may be present on the N-terminaland/or C-terminal side of a CAR sequence, and may be derived fromsequences that flank the HAV sequence within one or more naturallyoccurring cadherins (e.g., N-cadherin, E-cadherin, P-cadherin,R-cadherin or other cadherins containing the HAV sequence) with orwithout amino acid substitutions and/or other modifications. Flankingsequences for endogenous N-, E-, P- and R-cadherin are shown in FIG. 2,and in SEQ ID NOs:1-7. Database accession numbers for representativenaturally occurring cadherins are as follows: human N-cadherin M34064,mouse N-cadherin M31131 and M22556, cow N-cadherin X53615, humanP-cadherin X63629, mouse P-cadherin X06340, human E-cadherin Z13009,mouse E-cadherin X06115. Alternatively, additional residues present onone or both sides of the CAR sequence(s) may be unrelated to anendogenous sequence (e.g., residues that facilitate cyclization).

Within certain preferred embodiments, as discussed below, relativelysmall cyclic peptides that do not contain significant sequences flankingthe HAV sequence are preferred for use in designing peptidomimetics.Such peptides may contain an N-acetyl group and a C-amide group (e.g.,the 5-residue rings N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10), N—Ac—KHAVD-NH₂ (SEQID NO:12), H—C(O)—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10), CH₃—SO₂—NH—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:10), N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81), H—C(O)—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:81) or CH₃—SO₂—NH—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81)).

Within other preferred embodiments, a cyclic peptide may containsequences that flank the HAV sequence on one or both sides that aredesigned to confer specificity for cell adhesion mediated by one or morespecific cadherins, resulting in a conformation that provides tissueand/or cell-type specificity. Suitable flanking sequences for conferringspecificity include, but are not limited to, endogenous sequencespresent in one or more naturally occurring cadherins, and cyclicpeptides having specificity may be identified using the representativescreens provided herein. For example, it has been found, within thecontext of the present invention, that cyclic peptides that containadditional residues derived from the native E-cadherin sequence on theN-terminal side of the CAR sequence are specific for epithelial cells(i.e., such peptides disrupt E-cadherin mediated cell adhesion to agreater extent than they disrupt N-cadherin expression). The addition ofappropriate endogenous sequences may similarly result in peptides thatdisrupt N-cadherin mediated cell adhesion. For example, it has beenfound within the context of the present invention that the addition ofone or more amino acid residues on the C-terminal side of the HAVsequence in an endogenous N-cadherin results in cyclic peptides that arepotent inhibitors of neurite outgrowth. Peptidomimetics that aredesigned based on such cyclic peptides may display the specificity ofthe base cyclic peptide.

Cyclic peptides as described herein may comprise residues of L-aminoacids, D-amino acids, or any combination thereof. Amino acids may befrom natural or non-natural sources, provided that at least one aminogroup and at least one carboxyl group are present in the molecule; α-and β-amino acids are generally preferred. The 20 L-amino acids commonlyfound in proteins are identified herein by the conventional three-letteror one-letter abbreviations indicated in Table 1, and the correspondingD-amino acids are designated by a lower case one letter symbol. Cyclicpeptides may also contain one or more rare amino acids (such as4-hydroxyproline or hydroxylysine), organic acids or amides and/orderivatives of common amino acids, such as amino acids having theC-terminal carboxylate esterified (e.g., benzyl, methyl or ethyl ester)or amidated and/or having modifications of the N-terminal amino group(e.g. acetylation or alkoxycarbonylation), with or without any of a widevariety of side-chain modifications and/or substitutions (e.g.,methylation, benzylation, t-butylation, tosylation, alkoxycarbonylation,and the like). Preferred derivatives include amino acids having anN-acetyl group (such that the amino group that represents the N-terminusof the linear peptide prior to cyclization is acetylated) and/or aC-terminal amide group (i.e., the carboxy terminus of the linear peptideprior to cyclization is amidated). Residues other than common aminoacids that may be present with a cyclic peptide include, but are notlimited to, penicillamine, β,β-tetramethylene cysteine,β,β-pentamethylene cysteine, β-mercaptopropionic acid,β,β-pentamethylene-β-mercaptopropionic acid, 2-mercaptobenzene,2-mercaptoaniline, 2-mercaptoproline, ornithine, diaminobutyric acid,α-aminoadipic acid, m-aminomethylbenzoic acid and α,β-diaminopropionicacid. TABLE 1 Amino acid one-letter and three-letter abbreviations A AlaAlanine R Arg Arginine D Asp Aspartic acid N Asn Asparagine C CysCysteine Q Gln Glutamine E Glu Glutamic acid G Gly Glycine H HisHistidine I Ile Isoleucine L Leu Leucine K Lys Lysine M Met Methionine FPhe Phenylalanine P Pro Proline S Ser Serine T Thr Threonine W TrpTryptophan Y Tyr Tyrosine V Val Valine

Cyclic peptides as described herein may be synthesized by methods wellknown in the art, including recombinant DNA methods and chemicalsynthesis. Chemical synthesis may generally be performed using standardsolution phase or solid phase peptide synthesis techniques, in which apeptide linkage occurs through the direct condensation of the α-aminogroup of one amino acid with the α-carboxy group of the other amino acidwith the elimination of a water molecule. Peptide bond synthesis bydirect condensation, as formulated above, requires suppression of thereactive character of the amino group of the first and of the carboxylgroup of the second amino acid. The masking substituents must permittheir ready removal, without inducing breakdown of the labile peptidemolecule.

In solution phase synthesis, a wide variety of coupling methods andprotecting groups may be used (see Gross and Meienhofer, eds., “ThePeptides: Analysis, Synthesis, Biology,” Vol. 1-4 (Academic Press,1979); Bodansky and Bodansky, “The Practice of Peptide Synthesis,” 2ded. (Springer Verlag, 1994)). In addition, intermediate purification andlinear scale up are possible. Those of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that solution synthesis requires consideration of main chainand side chain protecting groups and activation method. In addition,careful segment selection is necessary to minimize racemization duringsegment condensation. In particular, a high percentage of racemizationmay be observed when residues such as Phe-Gly are coupled. Suchsituations are, however, uncommon. Solubility considerations are also afactor.

Solid phase peptide synthesis uses an insoluble polymer for supportduring organic synthesis. The polymer-supported peptide chain permitsthe use of simple washing and filtration steps instead of laboriouspurifications at intermediate steps. Solid-phase peptide synthesis maygenerally be performed according to the method of Merrifield et al., J.Am. Chem. Soc. 85:2149, 1963, which involves assembling a linear peptidechain on a resin support using protected amino acids. Solid phasepeptide synthesis typically utilizes either the Boc or Fmoc strategy.The Boc strategy uses a 1% cross-linked polystyrene resin. The standardprotecting group for α-amino functions is the tert-butyloxycarbonyl(Boc) group. This group can be removed with dilute solutions of strongacids such as 25% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). The next Boc-amino acid istypically coupled to the amino acyl resin using dicyclohexylcarbodiimide(DCC). Following completion of the assembly, the peptide-resin istreated with anhydrous HF to cleave the benzyl ester link and liberatethe free peptide. Side-chain functional groups are usually blockedduring synthesis by benzyl-derived blocking groups, which are alsocleaved by HF. The free peptide is then extracted from the resin with asuitable solvent, purified and characterized. Newly synthesized peptidescan be purified, for example, by gel filtration, HPLC, partitionchromatography and/or ion-exchange chromatography, and may becharacterized by, for example, mass spectrometry or amino acid sequenceanalysis. In the Boc strategy, C-terminal amidated peptides can beobtained using benzhydrylamine or methylbenzhydrylamine resins, whichyield peptide amides directly upon cleavage with HF.

In the procedures discussed above, the selectivity of the side-chainblocking groups and of the peptide-resin link depends upon thedifferences in the rate of acidolytic cleavage. Orthoganol systems havebeen introduced in which the side-chain blocking groups and thepeptide-resin link are completely stable to the reagent used to removethe α-protecting group at each step of the synthesis. The most common ofthese methods involves the 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc) approach.Within this method, the side-chain protecting groups and thepeptide-resin link are completely stable to the secondary amines usedfor cleaving the N-α-Fmoc group. The side-chain protection and thepeptide-resin link are cleaved by mild acidolysis. The repeated contactwith base makes the Merrifield resin unsuitable for Fmoc chemistry, andp-alkoxybenzyl esters linked to the resin are generally used.Deprotection and cleavage are generally accomplished using TFA.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that, in solid phasesynthesis, deprotection and coupling reactions must go to completion andthe side-chain blocking groups must be stable throughout the entiresynthesis. In addition, solid phase synthesis is generally most suitablewhen peptides are to be made on a small scale.

Acetylation of the N-terminal can be accomplished by reacting the finalpeptide with acetic anhydride before cleavage from the resin.C-amidation is accomplished using an appropriate resin such asmethylbenzhydrylamine resin using the Boc technology.

Following synthesis of a linear peptide, with or without N-acetylationand/or C-amidation, cyclization may be achieved by any of a variety oftechniques well known in the art. Within one embodiment, a bond may begenerated between reactive amino acid side chains. For example, adisulfide bridge may be formed from a linear peptide comprising twothiol-containing residues by oxidizing the peptide using any of avariety of methods. Within one such method, air oxidation of thiols cangenerate disulfide linkages over a period of several days using eitherbasic or neutral aqueous media. The peptide is used in high dilution tominimize aggregation and intermolecular side reactions. This methodsuffers from the disadvantage of being slow but has the advantage ofonly producing H₂O as a side product. Alternatively, strong oxidizingagents such as I₂ and K₃Fe(CN)₆ can be used to form disulfide linkages.Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that care must betaken not to oxidize the sensitive side chains of Met, Tyr, Trp or His.Cyclic peptides produced by this method require purification usingstandard techniques, but this oxidation is applicable at acid pHs. Byway of example, strong oxidizing agents can be used to perform thecyclization shown below (SEQ ID NOs:62 and 63), in which the underlinedportion is cyclized: FmocCysAsp(t-Bu)GlyTyr(t-Bu)ProLys(Boc)Asp(t-Bu)CysLys(t-Bu)Gly-OMe → FmocCysAsp(t-Bu)GlyTyr(t-Bu)ProLys(Boc)Asp(t-Bu)CysLys(t-Bu)Gly-OMe

Oxidizing agents also allow concurrent deprotection/oxidation ofsuitable S-protected linear precursors to avoid premature, nonspecificoxidation of free cysteine, as shown below (SEQ ID NOs: 64 and 65),where X and Y=S-Trt or S-Acm:BocCys(X)GlyAsnLeuSer(t-Bu)Thr(t-Bu)Cys(Y)MetLeu GlyOH →BocCysGlyAsnLeuSer(t-Bu)Thr(t-Bu)CysMetLeuGlyOH

DMSO, unlike I₂ and K₃Fe(CN)₆, is a mild oxidizing agent which does notcause oxidative side reactions of the nucleophilic amino acids mentionedabove. DMSO is miscible with H₂O at all concentrations, and oxidationscan be performed at acidic to neutral pHs with harmless byproducts.Methyltrichlorosilane-diphenylsulfoxide may alternatively be used as anoxidizing agent, for concurrent deprotection/oxidation of S-Acm, S-Tacmor S-t-Bu of cysteine without affecting other nucleophilic amino acids.There are no polymeric products resulting from intermolecular disulfidebond formation. In the example below (SEQ ID NOs:66 and 67), X is Acm,Tacm or t-Bu: H-Cys(X)TyrIleGlnAsnCys(X)ProLeuGly-NH₂ →H-CysTyrIleGlnAsnCysProLeuGly-NH₂

Suitable thiol-containing residues for use in such oxidation methodsinclude, but are not limited to, cysteine, β,β-dimethyl cysteine(penicillamine or Pen), β,β-tetramethylene cysteine (Tmc),β,β-pentamethylene cysteine (Pmc), β-mercaptopropionic acid (Mpr),β,β-pentamethylene-β-mercaptopropionic acid (Pmp), 2-mercaptobenzene,2-mercaptoaniline and 2-mercaptoproline. Peptides containing suchresidues are illustrated by the following representative formulas, inwhich the underlined portion is cyclized, N-acetyl groups are indicatedby N—Ac and C-terminal amide groups are represented by —NH₂: i)

(SEQ ID NO: 10) ii)

(SEQ ID NO: 24) iii)

(SEQ ID NO: 36) iv)

(SEQ ID NO: 38) v)

(SEQ ID NO: 26) vi)

(SEQ ID NO: 42) vii)

(SEQ ID NO: 38) viii)

(SEQ ID NO: 26) ix)

(SEQ ID NO: 68) x)

(SEQ ID NO: 69) xi)

(SEQ ID NO: 70) xii)

(SEQ ID NO: 71) xiii)

(SEQ ID NO: 72) xii)

xiii)

It will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that,within each of these representative formulas, any of the abovethiol-containing residues may be employed in place of one or both of thethiol-containing residues recited.

Within further embodiments, cyclization may be achieved by amide bondformation. For example, a peptide bond may be formed between terminalfunctional groups (i.e., the amino and carboxy termini of a linearpeptide prior to cyclization). Two such cyclic peptides are AHAVDI (SEQID NO:34) and SHAVSS (SEQ ID NO:46), with or without an N-terminalacetyl group and/or a C-terminal amide. Within another such embodiment,the linear peptide comprises a D-amino acid (e.g., HAVsS; SEQ ID NO:73).Alternatively, cyclization may be accomplished by linking one terminusand a residue side chain or using two side chains, as in KHAVD (SEQ IDNO:12) or KSHAVSSD (SEQ ID NO:48), with or without an N-terminal acetylgroup and/or a C-terminal amide. Residues capable of forming a lactambond include lysine, ornithine (Orn), α-amino adipic acid,m-aminomethylbenzoic acid, α,β-diaminopropionic acid, glutamate oraspartate.

Methods for forming amide bonds are well known in the art and are basedon well established principles of chemical reactivity. Within one suchmethod, carbodiimide-mediated lactam formation can be accomplished byreaction of the carboxylic acid with DCC, DIC, EDAC or DCCl, resultingin the formation of an O-acylurea that can be reacted immediately withthe free amino group to complete the cyclization. The formation of theinactive N—Acylurea, resulting from O→N migration, can be circumventedby converting the O-acylurea to an active ester by reaction with anN-hydroxy compound such as 1-hydroxybenzotriazole, 1-hydroxysuccinimide,1-hydroxynorbornene carboxamide or ethyl 2-hydroximino-2-cyanoacetate.In addition to minimizing O→N migration, these additives also serve ascatalysts during cyclization and assist in lowering racemization.Alternatively, cyclization can be performed using the azide method, inwhich a reactive azide intermediate is generated from an alkyl ester viaa hydrazide. Hydrazinolysis of the terminal ester necessitates the useof a t-butyl group for the protection of side chain carboxyl functionsin the acylating component. This limitation can be overcome by usingdiphenylphosphoryl acid (DPPA), which furnishes an azide directly uponreaction with a carboxyl group. The slow reactivity of azides and theformation of isocyanates by their disproportionation restrict theusefulness of this method. The mixed anhydride method of lactamformation is widely used because of the facile removal of reactionby-products. The anhydride is formed upon reaction of the carboxylateanion with an alkyl chloroformate or pivaloyl chloride. The attack ofthe amino component is then guided to the carbonyl carbon of theacylating component by the electron donating effect of the alkoxy groupor by the steric bulk of the pivaloyl chloride t-butyl group, whichobstructs attack on the wrong carbonyl group. Mixed anhydrides withphosphoric acid derivatives have also been successfully used.Alternatively, cyclization can be accomplished using activated esters.The presence of electron withdrawing substituents on the alkoxy carbonof esters increases their susceptibility to aminolysis. The highreactivity of esters of p-nitrophenol, N-hydroxy compounds andpolyhalogenated phenols has made these “active esters” useful in thesynthesis of amide bonds. The last few years have witnessed thedevelopment of benzotriazolyloxytris(dimethylamino)phosphoniumhexafluorophosphonate (BOP) and its congeners as advantageous couplingreagents. Their performance is generally superior to that of the wellestablished carbodiimide amide bond formation reactions.

Within a further embodiment, a thioether linkage may be formed betweenthe side chain of a thiol-containing residue and an appropriatelyderivatized α-amino acid. By way of example, a lysine side chain can becoupled to bromoacetic acid through the carbodiimide coupling method(DCC, EDAC) and then reacted with the side chain of any of the thiolcontaining residues mentioned above to form a thioether linkage. Inorder to form dithioethers, any two thiol containing side-chains can bereacted with dibromoethane and diisopropylamine in DMF. Examples ofthiol-containing linkages are shown below:

Cyclization may also be achieved using δ₁,δ_(1′)-Ditryptophan (i.e.,Ac-Trp-Gly-Gly-Trp-OMe) (SEQ ID NO:74), as shown below:

Representative structures of cyclic peptides are provided in FIG. 3.Within FIG. 3, certain cyclic peptides having the ability to modulatecell adhesion (shown on the left) are paired with similar inactivestructures (on the right). The structures and formulas recited hereinare provided solely for the purpose of illustration, and are notintended to limit the scope of the cyclic peptides described herein.

Three-Dimensional Structures of the HAV Pharmacophore

For designing peptidomimetics, it is beneficial to obtain a threedimensional structure for the pharmacophore of one or more cyclicpeptides described above. The term “pharmacophore” refers to thecollection of functional groups on a compound that are arranged inthree-dimensional space in a manner complementary to the target protein,and that are responsible for biological activity as a result of compoundbinding to the target protein. Useful three-dimensional pharmacophoremodels are best derived from either crystallographic or nuclear magneticresonance structures of the target, but can also be derived fromhomology models based on the structures of related targets orthree-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationships derivedfrom a previously discovered series of active compounds.

The present invention provides pharmacophores of certain representativecyclic peptides (i.e., three-dimensional conformations of the classicalcadherin CAR sequence HAV within such peptides). Such three-dimensionalstructures provide the information required to most efficiently directthe design and optimization of peptidomimetics.

The three-dimensional structures of cyclic peptides may generally bedetermined using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques that arewell known in the art. NMR data acquisition is preferably carried out inaqueous systems that closely mimic physiological conditions to ensurethat a relevant structure is obtained. Briefly, NMR techniques use themagnetic properties of certain atomic nuclei (such as ¹H, ¹³C, ¹⁵N and³¹P), which have a magnetic moment or spin, to probe the chemicalenvironment of such nuclei. The NMR data can be used to determinedistances between atoms in the molecule, which can be used to derive athree-dimensional model or the molecule.

For determining three-dimensional structures of cyclic peptides (andcandidate peptidomimetics, as discussed below) proton NMR is preferablyused. More specifically, when a molecule is placed in a strong magneticfield, the two spin states of the hydrogen atoms are no longerdegenerate. The spin aligned parallel to the field will have a lowerenergy and the spin aligned antiparallel to the field will have a higherenergy. At equilibrium, the spin of the hydrogen atoms will be populatedaccording to the Boltzmann distribution equation. This equilibrium ofspin populations can be perturbed to an excited state by applying radiofrequency (RF) pulses. When the nuclei revert to the equilibrium state,they emit RF radiation that can be measured. The exact frequency of theemitted radiation from each nucleus depends on the molecular environmentof the nucleus and is different for each atom (except for those atomsthat have the same molecular environment). These different frequenciesare obtained relative to a reference signal and are called chemicalshifts. The nature, duration and combination of applied RF pulses can bevaried greatly and different molecular properties can be probed by thoseof ordinary skill in the art, by selecting an appropriate combination ofpulses.

For three-dimensional structure determinations, one-dimensional NMRspectra are generally insufficient, as limited information pertaining toconformation may be obtained. One-dimensional NMR is generally used toverify connectivity within a molecule and yields incomplete dataconcerning the orientation of side chains within a peptide.Two-dimensional NMR spectra are much more useful in this respect andallow for unambiguous determination of side-chain-to-side-chaininteractions and the conformation of the peptide backbone.

Two-dimensional NMR spectra are generally presented as a contour plot inwhich the diagonal corresponds to a one-dimensional NMR spectrum and thecross peaks off the diagonal result from interactions between hydrogenatoms that are directly scalar coupled. Two-dimensional experimentsgenerally contain a preparation period, an evolution period where spinsare “labeled” as they process in the XY plane according to theirchemical shift, a mixing period, during which correlations are made withother spins and a detection period in which a free induction decay isrecorded.

Two-dimensional NMR methods are distinguished by the nature of thecorrelation that is probed during the mixing period. A DQF-COSY (doublequantum filtered correlation spectroscopy) analysis gives peaks betweenhydrogen atoms that are covalently connected through one or two otheratoms. Nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY) gives peaksbetween pairs of hydrogen atoms that are close together in space, evenif connected by way of a large number of intervening atoms. In totalcorrelation spectroscopy (TOCSY), correlations are observed between allprotons that share coupling partners, whether or not they are directlycoupled to each other. Rotating-frame Overhauser Spectroscopy (ROESY)experiments may be thought of as the rotating frame analogue of NOESY,and yields peaks between pairs of hydrogen atoms that are close togetherin space. One or more such methods may be used, in conjunction with thenecessary water-suppression techniques such as WATERGATE and waterflip-back, to determine the three-dimensional structure of a cyclicpeptide or candidate peptidomimetic under aqueous conditions. Suchtechniques are well known and are necessary to suppress the resonance ofthe solvent (HDO) during acquisition of NMR data.

By way of example, both TOCSY and NOESY may be applied to representativecyclic peptides for the purpose of determining the conformation and theassignment. The water solvent resonance may be suppressed by applicationof the WATERGATE procedure. A water flipback pulse may also be appliedat the end of the mixing period for both TOCSY and NOESY experiments tomaintain the water signal at equilibrium and to minimize the loss ofamide proton resonances due to their rapid exchange at the near neutralpH conditions (i.e., pH 6.8) used in the experiment. NMR data may beprocessed using spectrometer software using a squared cosine windowfunction along both directions. Baseline corrections may be applied tothe NOESY, ROESY and TOCSY spectra using the standard Bruker polynomialmethod.

NOESY data may be acquired at several mixing times ranging from 80 ms to250 ms. The shorter mixing time NOESY may be acquired to ensure that nodiffusion effects were present in the NOESY spectrum acquired at thelonger mixing times. The interproton distances may generally bedetermined from the 250 ms NOESY. The sequence-specific assignment ofthe proton resonances may be determined by standard methods (seeWuthrich, NMR of Proteins and Nucleic Acids, Wiley & Sons, New York,1986), making use of both the results of the TOCSY and NOESY data. Thespin systems of Ala3 and Val4 may be assigned based on the presence ofstrong NOEs between the amide protons and the respective side chains inconjunction with the relevant TOCSY data.

For conformational calculations, the NOE cross peaks may be initiallyconverted to a uniform distance upper and lower bounds of 1.8-5.0angstroms regardless of the NOE intensities. The NOE distances may berefined iteratively through a comparison of computed and experimentalNOEs at the various mixing times. This refinement may be much in thespirit of the PEPFLEX-11 procedure (Wang et al., Techniques in ProteinChemistry IV, 1993, Evaluation of NMR Based Structure Determination forFlexible Peptides: Application to Desmopressin p. 569), althoughpreferably initial NOE-based distances with very loose upper bounds(e.g., 5 angstroms) are used to permit the generation of a more completeset of conformations in agreement with experimental data. Dihedral-angleconstraints may be derived from the values of the ³JCαH couplingconstants. A tolerance value of 40 degrees may be added to each of thedihedral angle constraints to account for the conformational flexibilityof the peptide. Distance geometry calculations may be carried oututilizing fixed bond lengths and bond angles provided in the ECEPP/2database (Ni et al., Biochemistry 31:11551-11557, 2989). The co-anglesare generally fixed at 180 degrees, but all other dihedral angles may bevaried during structure optimization.

Structures with the lowest constraint violations may be subjected toenergy minimization using a distance-restrained Monte Carlo method(Ripoll and Ni, Biopolymers 32:359-365, 1992; Ni, J. Magn. Reson.B106:147-155, 1995), and modified to include the ECEPP/3 force field (Niet al., J. Mol. Biol. 252:656-671, 1995). All ionizable groups may betreated as charged during constrained Monte Carlo minimization of theECEPP/3 energy. Electrostatic interactions among all charges may bescreened by use of a distance-dependent dielectric to account for theabsence of solvent effects in conformational energy calculations. Inaddition, hydrogen-bonding interactions can be reduced to 25% of thefull scale, while van der Waals and electrostatic terms are kept to fullstrengths. These special treatments help to ensure that theconformational search is guided primarily by the experimental NMRconstraints and that the computed conformations are less biased by theempirical conformational energy parameters (Warder et al., FEBS Lett.411:19-26, 1997).

Low-energy conformations of the peptide from Monte Carlo calculationsmay be used in NOE simulations to identify proximate protons with noobservable NOEs and sets of distance upper bounds that warrantrecalibration. The refined set of NOE distances including distance lowerbounds derived from absent NOEs are used in the next cycles of MonteCarlo calculations, until the resulting conformations produced simulateNOE spectra close to those observed experimentally (Ning et al.,Biopolymers 34:1125-1137, 1994; Ni et al., J. Mol. Biol. 252:656-671,1995). Theoretical NOE spectra may be calculated using a tumblingcorrelation time of 1.5 ns based on the molecular weight of the peptideand the experimental temperature (Cantor, C. R. and Schimmel, P. R.(1980) Biophysical Chemistry, W. H. Freeman & Co., San Francisco). Allcandidate peptide conformations are included with equal weights in anensemble-averaged relaxation matrix analysis of interconvertingconformations (Ni and Zhu J. Magn. Reson. B102:180-184, 1994). NOEsimulations may also incorporate parameters to account for the localmotions of the methyl groups and the effects of incomplete relaxationdecay of the proton demagnitizations (Ning et al., Biopolymers34:1125-1137, 1994). The computed NOE intensities are converted to thetwo-dimensional FID's (Ni, J. Magn. Reson. B106:147-155, 1995) using thechemical shift of assignments, estimated linewidths and couplingconstants for all resolved proton resonances. Calculated FIDs may beconverted to simulated NOESY spectra using identical processingprocedures as used for the experimental NOE data sets.

The high resolution molecular map of the pharmacophore of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂(SEQ ID NO:10) is shown in FIGS. 7A-7C, each of which depicts one ofthree low energy conformations (Structure 1, Structure 2 and Structure3). The co-ordinates for these three low energy conformations are givenin Appendix 1. The conformation of HAV in N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10)greatly resembles the conformation of the HAV in x-ray crystal structureof N-cadherin (see FIGS. 8A and 8B). The high resolution molecular mapof the pharmacophore of N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81) is shown inFIGS. 9A-9D, each of which depicts one of the four low energyconformations. The co-ordinates for these four low energy conformationsare given in Appendix 2. The high resolution molecular map of thepharmacophore of N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20) is shown in FIGS.20A-20D, each of which depicts one of the four low energy conformations.The co-ordinates for these low energy conformations are given inAppendix 3. The high resolution molecular map of the pharmacophore ofN—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36) is shown in FIGS. 32A and 32B, each ofwhich depicts one of the two low energy conformations. The co-ordinatesfor these low energy conformations are given in Appendix 4.

Peptidomimetics

As noted above, peptidomimetics are compounds in which at least aportion of the HAV sequence within a cyclic peptide is modified, suchthat the three dimensional structure of the peptidomimetic remainssubstantially the same as that of the HAV sequence. Peptidomimetics maybe peptide analogues that are, themselves, cyclic peptides containingone or more substitutions or other modifications within the HAVsequence. Alternatively, at least a portion of the HAV sequence may bereplaced with a nonpeptide structure, such that the three-dimensionalstructure of the cyclic peptide is substantially retained. In otherwords, one, two or three amino acid residues within the HAV sequence maybe replaced by a non-peptide structure. In addition, other peptideportions of the cyclic peptide may, but need not, be replaced with anon-peptide structure. Peptidomimetics (both peptide and non-peptidylanalogues) may have improved properties (e.g., decreased proteolysis,increased retention or increased bioavailability). Peptidomimeticsgenerally have improved oral availability, which makes them especiallysuited to treatment of conditions such as cancer. It should be notedthat peptidomimetics may or may not have similar two-dimensionalchemical structures, but share common three-dimensional structuralfeatures and geometry. Each peptidomimetic may further have one or moreunique additional binding elements. The present invention providesmethods for identifying peptidomimetics, as well as a series of specificpeptidomimetics of certain cyclic peptides provided herein.

All peptidomimetics provided herein have a three-dimensional structurethat is substantially similar to a three-dimensional structure of acyclic peptide as described above. In general, two three-dimensionalstructures are said to be substantially structurally similar to eachother if their pharmacophore atomic coordinates have a root-mean squaredeviation (RMSD) less than or equal to 1 angstrom, as calculated usingthe Molecular Similarity module within the QUANTA program (QUANTA,available from Molecular Simulations Inc., San Diego, Calif.). Allpeptidomimetics provided herein have at least one low-energythree-dimensional structure that is substantially similar to at leastone low-energy three-dimensional structure of a cyclic peptide asdescribed above.

Low energy conformations may be identified by conformational energycalculations using, for example, the CHARMM program (Brooks et al., J.Comput. Chem. 4:187-217, 1983). The energy terms include bonded andnon-bonded terms, including bond length energy, angle energy, dihedralangle energy, Van der Waals energy and electrostatic energy. It will beapparent that the conformational energy can be also calculated using anyof a variety of other commercially available quantum mechanic ormolecular mechanic programs. A low energy structure has a conformationalenergy that is within 50 kcal/mol of the global minimum.

The low energy conformation(s) of candidate peptidomimetics are comparedto the low energy solution conformations of the cyclic peptide (asdetermined by NMR) to determine how closely the conformation of thecandidate mimics that of the cyclic peptide. In such comparisons,particular attention should be given to the locations and orientationsof the elements corresponding to the crucial side chains. If at leastone of the candidate low energy conformations is substantially similarto a solution conformation of a cyclic peptide (i.e., differs with aroot-mean square deviation (RMSD) of 1 angstrom or less), the candidatecompound is considered a peptidomimetic. Within such analyses, lowenergy conformations of candidate peptidomimetics in solution may bestudied using, for example, the CHARMM molecular mechanics and moleculardynamics program (Brooks et al., J. Comput. Chem. 4:187-217, 1983), withthe TIP3P water model (Jorgensen et al., J. Chem. Phys. 79:926-935,1983) used to represent water molecules. The CHARM22 force field may beused to represent the designed peptidomimetics.

By way of example, low energy conformations may be identified using acombination of two procedures. The first procedure involves a simulatedannealing molecular dynamics simulation approach. In this procedure, thesystem (which includes the designed peptidomimetics and water molecules)is heated up to above room temperature, preferably around 600K, andsimulated for a period of 100 picoseconds (ps) or longer; then graduallyreduced to 500K and simulated for a period of 100 ps or longer; thengradually reduced to 400K and simulated for a period of 100 ps orlonger; gradually reduced to 300K and simulated for a period of 500 psor longer. The trajectories are recorded for analysis. This simulatedannealing procedure is known for its ability for efficientconformational search.

The second procedure involves the use of the self-guided moleculardynamics (SGMD) method (Wu and Wang, J. Physical Chemistry102:7238-7250, 1998). The SGMD method has been demonstrated to have anextremely enhanced conformational searching capability. Using the SGMDmethod, simulation may be performed at 300 K for 1000 ps or longer andthe trajectories recorded for analysis.

Conformational analysis may be carried out using the QUANTA molecularmodeling package. First, cluster analysis may be performed using thetrajectories generated from molecular dynamic simulations. From eachcluster, the lowest energy conformation may be selected as therepresentative conformation for this cluster and may be compared toother conformational clusters. Upon cluster analysis, majorconformational clusters may be identified and compared to the solutionconformations of the cyclic peptide(s). The conformational comparisonmay be carried out using the Molecular Similarity module within theQUANTA program.

Similarity in structure may also be evaluated by visual comparison ofthe three-dimensional structures displayed in a graphical format, or byany of a variety of computational comparisons. For example, an atomequivalency may be defined in the peptidomimetic and cyclic peptidethree-dimensional structures, and a fitting operation used to establishthe level of similarity. As used herein, an “atom equivalency” is a setof conserved atoms in the two structures. A “fitting operation” may beany process by which a candidate compound structure is translated androtated to obtain an optimum fit with the cyclic peptide structure. Afitting operation may be a rigid fitting operation (e.g., the cyclicpeptide three-dimensional structure can be kept rigid and thethree-dimensional structure of the peptidomimetic can be translated androtated to obtain an optimum fit with the cyclic peptide).Alternatively, the fitting operation may use a least squares fittingalgorithm that computes the optimum translation and rotation to beapplied to the moving compound structure, such that the root mean squaredifference of the fit over the specified pairs of equivalent atoms is aminimum. Preferably, atom equivalencies may be established by the userand the fitting operation is performed using any of a variety ofavailable software applications (e.g., QUANTA, available from MolecularSimulations Inc., San Diego, Calif.). Three-dimensional structures ofcandidate compounds for use in establishing substantial similarity maybe determined experimentally (e.g., using NMR techniques as describedherein or x-ray crystallography), or may be computer-generated using,for example, methods provided herein.

Certain peptidomimetics may be designed, based on the cyclic peptidestructure. For example, such peptidomimetics may mimic the localtopography about the cleavable amide bonds (amide bond isosteres).Examples of backbone modifications are given in FIG. 4. These mimeticsoften match the peptide backbone atom-for-atom, while retainingfunctionality that makes important contacts with the binding sites.Amide bond mimetics may also include the incorporation of unusual aminoacids or dipeptide surrogates (see FIG. 5, and other examples inGillespie et al., Biopolymers 43:191-217, 1997). The conformationallyrigid substructural elements found in these types of mimetics arebelieved to result in binding with highly favorable entropic drivingforces, as compared to the more conformationally flexible peptidelinkages. Backbone modifications can also impart metabolic stabilitytowards peptidase cleavage relative to the parent peptide. Otherpeptidomimetics may be secondary structure mimics. Such peptidomimeticsgenerally employ non-peptide structures to replace specific secondarystructures, such as β-turns, β-sheets and α-turns (see FIG. 6).

To design a peptidomimetic, heuristic rules that have been developedthrough experience may be used to systematically modify a cyclicpeptide. Within such modification, empirical data of various kinds aregenerally collected throughout an iterative refinement process. As notedabove, optimal efficiency in peptidomimetic design requires athree-dimensional structure of the pharmacophore.

Pharmacophores as provided herein permit structure-based peptidomimeticdesign through, for example, peptide scaffold modification as describedabove. Certain peptidomimetics may be identified through visualinspection of one or more pharmacophores, as compared to the N-cadherinHAV conformation. For example, it is apparent from FIGS. 8A and 8B thatthe hydrophobic valine could be replaced with unnatural amino acidscarrying bulky groups, such as that found in compound 1 (FIG. 11). Thiswill restrict rotation of the amide bonds and possibly eliminate theneed for cyclization. Alternatively the hydrophobic valine residue couldbe incorporated into a cyclic rigid structure, such as that found incompounds 2 and 3 (FIG. 11).

Peptidomimetics can also be designed based on a visual comparison of acyclic peptide pharmacophore with a three-dimensional structure of acandidate compound, using knowledge of the structure-activityrelationships of the cyclic peptide. Structure-activity studies haveestablished important binding elements in the cyclic peptides, and havepermitted the development of pharmacophore models. Peptidomimeticsdesigned in this manner should retain these binding elements. In thecase of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10), peptidomimetics should havechemical groups that mimic the three-dimensional geometry of the sidechains of the histidine and valine residues. In the case ofN—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81), peptidomimetics should have chemicalgroups that mimic the three-dimensional geometry of the side chains ofthe histidine, valine and tyrosine residues.

By way of example, analysis of the solution conformations of theN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) indicates that a suitable peptidomimeticmay be designed based on the cyclization indicated in FIG. 12A. Thistype of cyclization scheme allows the design of peptidomimetic compoundsof about half the original molecular weight of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:10) but with all the essential binding elements of that cyclicpeptide.

Based upon this information, the peptidomimetic compound 4 (FIG. 12B)was designed. FIG. 12B also shows one of its low energy conformations.Superposition of the low energy conformation of this designedpeptidomimetic on one of the low energy conformations of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂(SEQ ID NO:10) is given in FIG. 12C. The overlap in terms of the crucialbinding elements indicates that compound 4 is a peptidomimetic.

A second set of peptidomimetics may be designed around replacing thedisulfide bond (—S—S—) with a thioether (—S—CH₂—C(O)—). The disulfidebond in general is not very stable as it can readily be reduced underacidic conditions. Replacing the disulfide bond with a thioether moiety(—S—CH₂—C(O)—) can significantly improve the stability of the peptideand therefore the oral availability. Two peptides that were designed inthis manner, based upon the structure of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂, are shown inFIG. 12D.

Molecular modeling studies carried out on N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10)indicated that the solution NMR structures could indeed be predictedusing the QUANTA molecular modeling package and its associated molecularmechanics program CHARMM (Brooks, B. R.; Bruccoleri, R. E.; Olafson, B.D.; States, D. J.; Swaminathan, S.; Karplus, M. CHARMM: A program formacromolecular energy minimization and dynamics calculations. J. Comput.Chem. 1983, 4, 187-217), running on an SGI workstation with IRIX6.5. Adielectric constant of 80 can be used to simulate an aqueousenvironment. These modeling techniques can be used predict theconformations (FIGS. 25A-27C) of the thioethers whose structures aregiven in FIGS. 24A-24C. It was found that the lowest energy conformationof CH₂CONHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:96) also has the lowest RMS deviation fromthe co-ordinates of NMR structure 2 of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂. (SEQ ID NO:10)NMR Structure 2 is the conformation of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10)which best mimics the HAV sequence in the x-ray structure of the firstextracellular domain of N-cadherin.

As an alternative to design by visual inspection, libraries (e.g.,containing hydantoin and/or oxopiperazine compounds) may be made usingcombinatorial chemical techniques. Combinatorial chemical technologyenables the parallel synthesis of organic compounds through thesystematic addition of defined chemical components using highly reliablechemical reactions and robotic instrumentation. Large libraries ofcompounds result from the combination of all possible reactions that canbe done at one site with all the possible reactions that can be done ata second, third or greater number of sites. Combinatorial chemicalmethods can potentially generate tens to hundreds of millions of newchemical compounds as mixtures, attached to a solid support, or asindividual compounds.

Pharmacophores can be used to facilitate the screening of such chemicallibraries. For example, instead of producing all possible members ofevery library (resulting in an unwieldy number of compounds), librarysynthesis can focus on the library members with the greatest probabilityof interacting with the target. The integrated application ofstructure-based design and combinatorial chemical technologies canproduce synergistic improvements in the efficiency of drug discovery. Byway of example, hydantoin and oxopiperazine libraries may be limited tothose compounds that involve only the addition of histidine and valinesurrogates to the hydantoin or oxopiperazine backbone. Some examples ofsuch compounds are compounds 5-12 (FIGS. 13A-13B).

Further peptidomimetics are compounds that appear to be unrelated to theoriginal peptide, but contain functional groups positioned on anonpeptide scaffold that serve as topographical mimics. This type ofpeptidomimetic is referred to herein as a “non-peptidyl analogue.” Suchpeptidomimetics may be identified using library screens of largechemical databases. Such screens use the three-dimensional conformationof a pharmacophore to search such databases in three-dimensional space.A single three-dimensional structure may be used as a pharmacophoremodel in such a search. Alternatively, a pharmacophore model may begenerated by considering the crucial chemical structural featurespresent within multiple three-dimensional structures. Crucial chemicalstructural features of the classical cadherin HAV sequence include theHis and Val residues, which are believed to participate in theinteractions between one cadherin molecule and another. Without wishingto be bound by any particular theory, the side chain of the His residueis believed to form a number of hydrogen bonds and the Val residue isbelieved to interact hydrophobically with the adhesive surface. In thedevelopment of a pharmacophore model, these two crucial residues shouldbe represented by appropriate chemical groups. For example the imidazolering of histidine could be represented by any of its bioisosteres, whichmight include triazole, pyrazole, thiatriazole, triazolone,benzoxadiazole, pyrazine, pyrimidine, oxadiazole, tetraazole,aminopyridine, triazine, benzodioxole, benzodiazole or benzoxadiazole.Similarly valine could be replaced by any hydrophobic residue such astert-butyl, cyclopentane, cyclohexane, any substituted phenyl, anysubstituted naphthalene or any substituted aromatic.

Any of a variety of databases of three-dimensional structures may beused for such searches. A database of three-dimensional structures maybe prepared by generating three-dimensional structures of a database ofcompounds, and storing the three-dimensional structures in the form ofdata storage material encoded with machine-readable data. Thethree-dimensional structures can be displayed on a machine capable ofdisplaying a graphical three-dimensional representation and programmedwith instructions for using the data. Within preferred embodiments,three-dimensional structures are supplied as a set of coordinates thatdefine the three-dimensional structure.

Preferably, the 3D-database contains at least 100,000 compounds, withsmall, non-peptidyl molecules having relatively simple chemicalstructures particularly preferred. It is also important that the 3Dco-ordinates of the compounds in the database be accurately andcorrectly represented. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) 3D-database(Milne et al., J. Chem. Inf. Comput. Sci. 34:1219-1224, 1994) and theAvailable Chemicals Directory (ACD; available from MDL InformationSystems, San Leandro, Calif.) are two excellent databases that can beused to generate a database of three-dimensional structures, usingmolecular modeling, as discussed above. For flexible molecules, whichcan have several low-energy conformations, it is desirable to store andsearch multiple conformations. The Chem-X program (Oxford MolecularGroup PLC; Oxford UK) is capable of searching thousands or even millionsof conformations for a flexible compound. This capability of Chem-Xprovides a real advantage in dealing with compounds that can adoptmultiple conformations. Using this approach, although the NCI-3Ddatabase presently contains a total of 465,000 compounds, hundreds ofmillions of conformations can be searched in a 3D-pharmacophoresearching process.

The Available Chemical Database presently contains 255,153 uniquechemicals from 543 supplier catalogues. The ACD database contains about50,000 compounds that are known drugs. To facilitate pharmacophoresearching, the entire ACD database was converted into 3-D conformations,as described above, which can be searched using the Chem-X program.

A pharmacophore search typically involves three steps. The first step isthe generation of a pharmacophore query. Such queries may be developedfrom an evaluation of critical distances in the three dimensionalstructure of a cyclic peptide. Certain such critical distances areindicated in FIG. 14A, which shows two examples of distances obtainedfrom low energy conformations of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10). Criticalfeatures of these conformations are the nitrogen atoms on the imidazolering and the hydrophobic portion of the valine residue. In one lowenergy conformation, the distance d1 is 9.4 angstroms, d2 is 9.2angstroms and d3 is 2.2 angstroms. In another low energy conformation,d4 is 7.5 angstroms, d5 is 7.0 angstroms and d6 is 2.2 angstroms.Specific pharmacophore queries that were developed for N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂(SEQ ID NO:10) are provided in FIGS. 14B and 14C. FIGS. 16 and 28 depictpharmacophore queries that were developed for N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:81). FIG. 30 illustrates the pharmacophore queries derived from thepharmacophore in N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20). Using the pharmacophorequery of interest, a distance bit screening is performed on the databaseto identify compounds that fulfill the required geometrical constraints.In other words, compounds that satisfy the specified critical pair-wisedistances are identified. After a compound passed the distance bitscreening step, the program next checks whether the compound meets thesubstructural requirements as specified in the pharmacophore query.After a compound passes this sub-structural check, it is finallysubjected to a conformational analysis. In this step, conformations aregenerated and evaluated with regard to geometric requirements specifiedin the pharmacophore query. Compounds that have at least oneconformation satisfying the geometric requirements, are considered as‘hits’ and are recorded in a result database.

Representative compounds identified using such searches are presentedherein in FIGS. 15A-15BG (compounds 13-282) and FIGS. 17A-17J (compounds283-311), FIGS. 18A-18E (compounds 312-331) and FIGS. 19A-19E (compounds332-334), FIGS. 21A-21N, 29A-29G, and 31A-31AI (compounds 345-399,465-481, 482-593). While these compounds satisfy the requirements forthree-dimensional similarity, it will be apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art that further biological testing may be used to selectcompounds with optimal activity. It will further be apparent that othercriteria may be considered when selecting specific compounds forparticular applications, such as the simplicity of the chemicalstructure, low molecular weight, chemical structure diversity and watersolubility. The application of such criteria is well understood bymedicinal, computational and structural chemists.

It will be apparent that a compound structure may be optimized usingscreens as provided herein. Within such screens, the effect of specificalterations of a candidate compound on three-dimensional structure maybe evaluated, in order to optimize three-dimensional similarity to acyclic peptide. Such alterations include, for example, changes inhydrophobicity, steric bulk, electrostatic properties, size and bondangle.

Biological testing of candidate compounds may be used to confirmpeptidomimetic activity. In general, peptidomimetics should function ina substantially similar manner as a structurally similar cyclic peptide.In other words, a peptidomimetic of the cyclic peptide N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂(SEQ ID NO:10) should bind to a classical cadherin with an affinity thatis at least half the affinity of the cyclic peptide N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQID NO:10), as measured using standard binding assays. Further, apeptidomimetic of the cyclic peptide N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10)should modulate a classical cadherin-mediated function using arepresentative assay provided herein at a level that is at least halfthe level of modulation achieved using N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10).

Once an active peptidomimetic has been identified, related analogues maybe identified using two-dimensional similarity searching. Such searchingmay be performed, for example, using the program ISIS Base (MolecularDesign Limited). Two-dimensional similarity searching permits theidentification of other available, closely related compounds, which maybe readily screened to optimize biological activity. Such searching wasused to identify compounds that are structurally similar to compounds 35and 47. The identified compounds are presented in FIGS. 18A-18E and19A-19E, respectively. Such searching was also used to identifycompounds that are structurally similar to compounds 65 and 184. Theidentified compounds are presented in FIGS. 22A-22H and 23A-23F,respectively (compounds 434-464 and 400-433).

Cell Adhesion Modulating Agents

The term “cell adhesion modulating agent,” as used herein, refers to amolecule comprising at least one peptidomimetic of a cyclic peptide thatcontains the classical cadherin cell adhesion recognition (CAR) sequenceHAV (His-Ala-Val). As noted above, multiple peptidomimetics may bepresent within a modulating agent. Further, additional CAR sequences(specifically bound by an adhesion molecule) may be included within amodulating agent. As used herein, an “adhesion molecule” is any moleculethat mediates cell adhesion via a receptor on the cell's surface.Adhesion molecules include members of the cadherin gene superfamily thatare not classical cadherins (e.g., proteins that do not contain an HAVsequence and/or one or more of the other characteristics recited abovefor classical cadherins), such as desmogleins (Dsg) and desmocollins(Dsc); integrins; members of the immunoglobulin supergene family, suchas N-CAM; and other uncategorized transmembrane proteins, such asoccludin, as well as extracellular matrix proteins such as laminin,fibronectin, collagens, vitronectin, entactin and tenascin. PreferredCAR sequences for inclusion within a modulating agent include (a)Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD), which is bound by integrins (see Cardarelli et al.,J. Biol. Chem. 267:23159-64, 1992); (b) Tyr-Ile-Gly-Ser-Arg (YIGSR; SEQID NO:52), which is bound by α6β1 integrin; (c) KYSFNYDGSE (SEQ IDNO:53), which is bound by N-CAM; (d) the N-CAM heparin sulfate-bindingsite IWKHKGRDVILKKDVRF (SEQ ID NO:54); (e) the occludin CAR sequenceLYHY (SEQ ID NO:55); (f) claudin CAR sequences comprising at least fourconsecutive amino acids present within a claudin region that has theformula: Trp-Lys/Arg-Aaa-Baa-Ser/Ala-Tyr/Phe-Caa-Gly (SEQ ID NO:56),wherein Aaa, Baa and Caa indicate independently selected amino acidresidues; Lys/Arg is an amino acid that is lysine or arginine; Ser/Alais an amino acid that is serine or alanine; and Tyr/Phe is an amino acidthat is tyrosine or phenylalanine; and (g) nonclassical cadherin CARsequences comprising at least three consecutive amino acids presentwithin a nonclassical cadherin region that has the formula:Aaa-Phe-Baa-Ile/Leu % Val-Asp/Asn/Glu-Caa-Daa-Ser/Thr/Asn-Gly (SEQ IDNO:57), wherein Aaa, Baa, Caa and Daa are independently selected aminoacid residues; Ile/Leu/Val is an amino acid that is selected from thegroup consisting of isoleucine, leucine and valine, Asp/Asn/Glu is anamino acid that is selected from the group consisting of aspartate,asparagine and glutamate; and Ser/Thr/Asn is an amino acid that isselected from the group consisting of serine, threonine or asparagine.Representative claudin CAR sequences include IYSY (SEQ ID NO:58), TSSY(SEQ ID NO:59), VTAF (SEQ ID NO:60) and VSAF (SEQ ID NO:61).Representative nonclassical cadherin CAR sequences include theVE-cadherin (cadherin-5) CAR sequence DAE; the cadherin-6 CAR sequencesEEY, NEN, ESE and DSG; the cadherin-7 CAR sequences DEN, EPK and DAN;the cadherin-8 CAR sequences EEF and NDV; the OB-cadherin (cadherin-11)CAR sequences DDK, EEY and EAQ; the cadherin-12 CAR sequences DET andDPK; the cadherin-14 CAR sequences DDT, DPK and DAN; the cadherin-15 CARsequences DKF and DEL; the PB-cadherin CAR sequences EEY, DEL, DPK andDAD; the protocadherin CAR sequences DLV, NRD, DPK and DPS; the dsg CARsequences NQK, NRN and NKD; the dsc CAR sequences EKD and ERD and thecadherin-related neuronal receptor CAR sequences DPV, DAD, DSV, DSN,DSS, DEK and NEK.

Linkers may, but need not, be used to separate CAR sequences,peptidomimetics and/or antibody sequences within a modulating agent.Linkers may also, or alternatively, be used to attach one or moremodulating agents to a support molecule or material, as described below.A linker may be any molecule (including peptide and/or non-peptidesequences as well as single amino acids or other molecules), that doesnot contain a CAR sequence and that can be covalently linked to at leasttwo peptide sequences and/or peptidomimetics. Using a linker,peptidomimetics and other peptide or protein sequences may be joined ina variety of orientations.

Linkers preferably produce a distance between CAR sequences and/orpeptidomimetics between 0.1 to 10,000 nm, more preferably about 0.1-400nm. A separation distance between recognition sites may generally bedetermined according to the desired function of the modulating agent.For inhibitors of cell adhesion, the linker distance should be small(0.1-400 nm). For enhancers of cell adhesion, the linker distance shouldbe 400-10,000 nm. One linker that can be used for such purposes is(H₂N(CH₂)_(n)CO₂H)_(m), or derivatives thereof, where n ranges from 1 to10 and m ranges from 1 to 4000. For example, if glycine (H₂NCH₂CO₂H) ora multimer thereof is used as a linker, each glycine unit corresponds toa linking distance of 2.45 angstroms, or 0.245 nm, as determined bycalculation of its lowest energy conformation when linked to other aminoacids using molecular modeling techniques. Similarly, aminopropanoicacid corresponds to a linking distance of 3.73 angstroms, aminobutanoicacid to 4.96 angstroms, aminopentanoic acid to 6.30 angstroms and aminohexanoic acid to 6.12 angstroms. Other linkers that may be used will beapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art and include, for example,linkers based on repeat units of 2,3-diaminopropanoic acid, lysineand/or ornithine. 2,3-Diaminopropanoic acid can provide a linkingdistance of either 2.51 or 3.11 angstroms depending on whether theside-chain amino or terminal amino is used in the linkage. Similarly,lysine can provide linking distances of either 2.44 or 6.95 angstromsand ornithine 2.44 or 5.61 angstroms. Peptide and non-peptide linkersmay generally be incorporated into a modulating agent using anyappropriate method known in the art.

Modulating agents that inhibit cell adhesion may contain one or morepeptidomimetics, provided that such peptidomimetics are adjacent to oneanother (i.e., without intervening sequences) or in close proximity(i.e., separated by peptide and/or non-peptide linkers to give adistance between the peptidomimetics that ranges from about 0.1 to 400nm). It will be apparent that other CAR sequences, as discussed above,may also be included. Such modulating agents may generally be usedwithin methods in which it is desirable to simultaneously disrupt celladhesion mediated by multiple adhesion molecules. Within certainpreferred embodiments, an additional CAR sequence is derived fromfibronectin and is recognized by an integrin (i.e., RGD; see Cardarelliet al., J. Biol. Chem. 267:23159-23164, 1992), or is an occludin CARsequence (e.g. LYHY; SEQ ID NO:55). One or more antibodies, or fragmentsthereof, may similarly be used within such embodiments.

Modulating agents that enhance cell adhesion may contain multiplepeptidomimetics joined by linkers as described above. Enhancement ofcell adhesion may also be achieved by attachment of multiple modulatingagents to a support molecule or material, as discussed further below.Such modulating agents may additionally comprise one or more CARsequence for one or more different adhesion molecules (including, butnot limited to, other CAMs) and/or one or more antibodies or fragmentsthereof that bind to such sequences, to enhance cell adhesion mediatedby multiple adhesion molecules.

As noted above, a modulating agent may consist entirely of one or morepeptidomimetics, or may contain additional peptide and/or non-peptidecomponents. Peptide portions may be synthesized as described above ormay be prepared using recombinant methods. Within such methods, all orpart of a modulating agent can be synthesized in living cells, using anyof a variety of expression vectors known to those of ordinary skill inthe art to be appropriate for the particular host cell. Suitable hostcells may include bacteria, yeast cells, mammalian cells, insect cells,plant cells, algae and other animal cells (e.g., hybridoma, CHO,myeloma). The DNA sequences expressed in this manner may encode portionsof an endogenous cadherin or other adhesion molecule. Such sequences maybe prepared based on known cDNA or genomic sequences (see Blaschuk etal., J. Mol. Biol. 211:679-682, 1990), or from sequences isolated byscreening an appropriate library with probes designed based on thesequences of known cadherins. Such screens may generally be performed asdescribed in Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual,Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., 1989 (andreferences cited therein). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) may also beemployed, using oligonucleotide primers in methods well known in theart, to isolate nucleic acid molecules encoding all or a portion of anendogenous adhesion molecule. To generate a nucleic acid moleculeencoding a peptide portion of a modulating agent, an endogenous sequencemay be modified using well known techniques. Alternatively, portions ofthe desired nucleic acid sequences may be synthesized using well knowntechniques, and then ligated together to form a sequence encoding aportion of the modulating agent.

As noted above, a modulating agent may comprise an antibody, orantigen-binding fragment thereof, that specifically binds to a CARsequence. As used herein, an antibody, or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, is said to “specifically bind” to a CAR sequence (with orwithout flanking amino acids) if it reacts at a detectable level(within, for example, an ELISA, as described by Newton et al., Develop.Dynamics 197:1-13, 1993) with a peptide containing that sequence, anddoes not react detectably with peptides containing a different CARsequence or a sequence in which the order of amino acid residues in thecadherin CAR sequence and/or flanking sequence is altered.

Antibodies and fragments thereof may be prepared using standardtechniques. See, e.g., Harlow and Lane, Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual,Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1988. In one such technique, an immunogencomprising a CAR sequence is initially injected into any of a widevariety of mammals (e.g., mice, rats, rabbits, sheep or goats). Smallimmunogens (i.e., less than about 20 amino acids) should be joined to acarrier protein, such as bovine serum albumin or keyhole limpethemocyanin. Following one or more injections, the animals are bledperiodically. Polyclonal antibodies specific for the CAR sequence maythen be purified from such antisera by, for example, affinitychromatography using the modulating agent or antigenic portion thereofcoupled to a suitable solid support.

Monoclonal antibodies specific for a CAR sequence may be prepared, forexample, using the technique of Kohler and Milstein, Eur. J. Immunol.6:511-519, 1976, and improvements thereto. Briefly, these methodsinvolve the preparation of immortal cell lines capable of producingantibodies having the desired specificity from spleen cells obtainedfrom an animal immunized as described above. The spleen cells areimmortalized by, for example, fusion with a myeloma cell fusion partner,preferably one that is syngeneic with the immunized animal. Singlecolonies are selected and their culture supernatants tested for bindingactivity against the modulating agent or antigenic portion thereof.Hybridomas having high reactivity and specificity are preferred.

Monoclonal antibodies may be isolated from the supernatants of growinghybridoma colonies, with or without the use of various techniques knownin the art to enhance the yield. Contaminants may be removed from theantibodies by conventional techniques, such as chromatography, gelfiltration, precipitation, and extraction. Antibodies having the desiredactivity may generally be identified using immunofluorescence analysesof tissue sections, cell or other samples where the target cadherin islocalized.

Within certain embodiments, monoclonal antibodies may be specific forparticular cadherins (e.g., the antibodies bind to E-cadherin, but donot bind significantly to N-cadherin, or vise versa). Such antibodiesmay be prepared as described above, using an immunogen that comprises(in addition to the HAV sequence) sufficient flanking sequence togenerate the desired specificity (e.g., 5 amino acids on each side isgenerally sufficient). One representative immunogen is the 15-merFHLRAHAVDINGNQV-NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:75), linked to KLH (see Newton et al.,Dev. Dynamics 197:1-13, 1993). To evaluate the specificity of aparticular antibody, representative assays as described herein and/orconventional antigen-binding assays may be employed. Such antibodies maygenerally be used for therapeutic, diagnostic and assay purposes, asdescribed herein. For example, such antibodies may be linked to a drugand administered to a mammal to target the drug to a particularcadherin-expressing cell, such as a leukemic cell in the blood.

Within certain embodiments, the use of antigen-binding fragments ofantibodies may be preferred. Such fragments include Fab fragments, whichmay be prepared using standard techniques. Briefly, immunoglobulins maybe purified from rabbit serum by affinity chromatography on Protein Abead columns (Harlow and Lane, Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, ColdSpring Harbor Laboratory, 1988; see especially page 309) and digested bypapain to yield Fab and Fc fragments. The Fab and Fc fragments may beseparated by affinity chromatography on protein A bead columns (Harlowand Lane, 1988, pages 628-29).

Evaluation of Modulating Agent Activity

As noted above, peptidomimetics and modulating agents are capable ofmodulating (i.e., enhancing or inhibiting) classical cadherin-mediatedcell adhesion. The ability of a modulating agent to modulate celladhesion may generally be evaluated in vitro by assaying the effect onone or more of the following: (1) neurite outgrowth, (2) adhesionbetween endothelial cells, (3) adhesion between epithelial cells (e.g.,normal rat kidney cells and/or human skin) and/or (4) adhesion betweencancer cells. In general, a modulating agent is an inhibitor of celladhesion if, within one or more of these representative assays, contactof the test cells with the modulating agent results in a discernibledisruption of cell adhesion. Modulating agents that enhance celladhesion are considered to be modulators of cell adhesion if they arecapable of enhancing neurite outgrowth as described below and/or arecapable of promoting cell adhesion, as judged by plating assays toassess epithelial cell adhesion to a modulating agent attached to asupport material, such as tissue culture plastic. For modulating agentsthat affect N-cadherin mediated functions, assays involving endothelialor cancer cell adhesion or neurite outgrowth are preferred.

Within a representative neurite outgrowth assay, neurons may be culturedon a monolayer of cells (e.g., 3T3) that express N-cadherin. Neuronsgrown on such cells (under suitable conditions and for a sufficientperiod of time) extend longer neurites than neurons cultured on cellsthat do not express N-cadherin. For example, neurons may be cultured onmonolayers of 3T3 cells transfected with cDNA encoding N-cadherinessentially as described by Doherty and Walsh, Curr. Op. Neurobiol.4:49-55, 1994; Williams et al., Neuron 13:583-594, 1994; Hall et al.,Cell Adhesion and Commun. 3:441-450, 1996; Doherty and Walsh, Mol. Cell.Neurosci. 8:99-111, 1994; and Safell et al., Neuron 18:231-242, 1997.Briefly, monolayers of control 3T3 fibroblasts and 3T3 fibroblasts thatexpress N-cadherin may be established by overnight culture of 80,000cells in individual wells of an 8-chamber well tissue culture slide.3000 cerebellar neurons isolated from post-natal day 3 mouse brains maybe cultured for 18 hours on the various monolayers in control media(SATO/2% FCS), or media supplemented with various concentrations of themodulating agent or control peptide. The cultures may then be fixed andstained for GAP43, which specifically binds to the neurons and theirneurites. The length of the longest neurite on each GAP43 positiveneuron may be measured by computer assisted morphometry.

A modulating agent that modulates N-cadherin-mediated cell adhesion mayinhibit or enhance such neurite outgrowth. Under the conditionsdescribed above, the presence of 500 μg/mL of a modulating agent thatdisrupts neural cell adhesion should result in a decrease in the meanneurite length by at least 50%, relative to the length in the absence ofmodulating agent or in the presence of a negative control peptide.Alternatively, the presence of 500 μg/mL of a modulating agent thatenhances neural cell adhesion should result in an increase in the meanneurite length by at least 50%.

Within one representative cell adhesion assay, the addition of amodulating agent to cells that express a cadherin results in disruptionof cell adhesion. A “cadherin-expressing cell,” as used herein, may beany type of cell that expresses at least one cadherin on the cellsurface at a detectable level, using standard techniques such asimmunocytochemical protocols (Blaschuk and Farookhi, Dev. Biol.136:564-567, 1989). Cadherin-expressing cells include endothelial (e.g.,bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells), epithelial and/or cancercells (e.g., the human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 (ATCC #HTB-77)).For example, such cells may be plated under standard conditions thatpermit cell adhesion in the presence and absence of modulating agent(e.g., 500 μg/mL). Disruption of cell adhesion may be determinedvisually within 24 hours, by observing retraction of the cells from oneanother.

For use within one such assay, bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cellsmay be harvested by sterile ablation and digestion in 0.1% collagenase(type II; Worthington Enzymes, Freehold, N.J.). Cells may be maintainedin Dulbecco's minimum essential medium supplemented with 10% fetal calfserum and 1% antibiotic-antimycotic at 37° C. in 7% CO₂ in air. Culturesmay be passaged weekly in trypsin-EDTA and seeded onto tissue cultureplastic at 20,000 cells/cm². Endothelial cultures may be used at 1 weekin culture, which is approximately 3 days after culture confluency isestablished. The cells may be seeded onto coverslips and treated (e.g.,for 30 minutes) with modulating agent or a control compound at, forexample, 500 μg/ml and then fixed with 1% paraformaldehyde. As notedabove, disruption of cell adhesion may be determined visually within 24hours, by observing retraction of the cells from one another. This assayevaluates the effect of a modulating agent on N-cadherin mediated celladhesion.

Within another such assay, the effect of a modulating agent on normalrat kidney (NRK) cells may be evaluated. According to a representativeprocedure, NRK cells (ATCC #1571-CRL) may be plated at 10-20,000 cellsper 35 mm tissue culture flasks containing DMEM with 10% FCS andsub-cultured periodically (Laird et al., J. Cell Biol. 131:1193-1203,1995). Cells may be harvested and replated in 35 mm tissue cultureflasks containing 1 mm coverslips and incubated until 50-65% confluent(24-36 hours). At this time, coverslips may be transferred to a 24-wellplate, washed once with fresh DMEM and exposed to modulating agent at aconcentration of, for example, 1 mg/mL for 24 hours. Fresh modulatingagent may then be added, and the cells left for an additional 24 hours.Cells may be fixed with 100% methanol for 10 minutes and then washedthree times with PBS. Coverslips may be blocked for 1 hour in 2% BSA/PBSand incubated for a further 1 hour in the presence of mouseanti-E-cadherin antibody (Transduction Labs, 1:250 dilution). Primaryand secondary antibodies may be diluted in 2% BSA/PBS. Followingincubation in the primary antibody, coverslips may be washed three timesfor 5 minutes each in PBS and incubated for 1 hour with donkeyanti-mouse antibody conjugated to fluorescein (diluted 1:200). Followingfurther washes in PBS (3×5 min) coverslips can be mounted and viewed byconfocal microscopy.

In the absence of modulating agent, NRK cells form characteristictightly adherent monolayers with a cobblestone morphology in which cellsdisplay a polygonal shape. NRK cells that are treated with a modulatingagent that disrupts E-cadherin mediated cell adhesion may assume anon-polygonal and elongated morphology (i.e., a fibroblast-like shape)within 48 hours of treatment with 1 mg/mL of modulating agent. Gapsappear in confluent cultures of such cells. In addition, 1 mg/mL of sucha modulating agent reproducibly induces a readily apparent reduction incell surface staining of E-cadherin, as judged by immunofluorescencemicroscopy (Laird et al., J. Cell Biol. 131:1193-1203, 1995), of atleast 75% within 48 hours.

A third cell adhesion assay involves evaluating the effect of amodulating agent on permeability of adherent epithelial and/orendothelial cell layers. For example, the effect on permeability ofhuman skin may be evaluated. Such skin may be derived from a naturalsource or may be synthetic. Human abdominal skin for use in such assaysmay generally be obtained from humans at autopsy within 24 hours ofdeath. Briefly, a cyclic peptide and a test marker (e.g., thefluorescent markers Oregon Green™ and Rhodamine Green™ Dextran) may bedissolved in a sterile buffer, and the ability of the marker topenetrate through the skin and into a receptor fluid may be measuredusing a Franz Cell apparatus (Franz, Curr. Prob. Dermatol. 7:58-68,1978; Franz, J. Invest. Dermatol. 64:190-195, 1975). In general, amodulating agent that enhances the permeability of human skin results ina statistically significant increase in the amount of marker in thereceptor compartment after 6-48 hours in the presence of 500 μg/mLmodulating agent. This assay evaluates the effect of a modulating agenton E-cadherin mediated cell adhesion.

Alternatively, cells that do not naturally express a cadherin may beused within such assays. Such cells may be stably transfected with apolynucleotide (e.g. a cDNA) encoding a classical cadherin of interest,such that the cadherin is expressed on the surface of the cell.Transfection of cells for use in cell adhesion assays may be performedusing standard techniques and published cadherin sequences. Expressionof the cadherin may be confirmed by assessing adhesion of thetransfected cells, in conjunction with immunocytochemical techniquesusing antibodies directed against the cadherin of interest. The stablytransfected cells that aggregate, as judged by light microscopy,following transfection express sufficient levels of the cadherin.Preferred cells for use in such assays include L cells, which do notdetectably adhere in the absence of transfection (Nagafuchi et al.,Nature 329:341-343, 1987). Following transfection of L cells with a cDNAencoding a cadherin, aggregation may be observed. Modulating agents thatdetectably inhibit such aggregation may be used to modulate functionsmediated by the cadherin. Such assays have been used for numerousnonclassical cadherins, including OB-cadherin (Okazaki et al., J. Biol.Chem. 269:12092-98, 1994), cadherin-5 (Breier et al., Blood 87:630-641,1996), cadherin-6 (Mbalaviele et al., J. Cell. Biol. 141:1467-1476,1998), cadherin-8 (Kido et al., Genomics 48:186-194, 1998), cadherin-15(Shimoyama et al., J. Biol. Chem. 273:10011-10018, 1998), PB-cadherin(Sugimoto et al., J. Biol. Chem. 271:11548-11556, 1996), LI-cadherin(Kreft et al., J. Cell. Biol. 136:1109-1121, 1997), protocadherin 42 and43 (Sano et al., EMBO J. 12:2249-2256, 1993) and desmosomal cadherins(Marcozzi et al., J. Cell. Sci. 111:495-509, 1998). It will be apparentto those of ordinary skill in the art that assays may be performed in asimilar manner for classical cadherins. In general, a modulating agentthat is derived from a particular cadherin CAR sequence (i.e., comprisessuch a peptidomimetic thereof) and that modulates adhesion of a cellthat expresses the same cadherin is considered to modulate a functionmediated by the cadherin.

Modulating Agent Modification and Formulations

A modulating agent as described herein may, but need not, be linked toone or more additional molecules. In particular, as discussed below, itmay be beneficial for certain applications to link multiple modulatingagents (which may, but need not, be identical) to a support molecule(e.g. keyhole limpet hemocyanin) or a solid support, such as a polymericmatrix (which may be formulated as a membrane or microstructure, such asan ultra thin film), a container surface (e.g., the surface of a tissueculture plate or the interior surface of a bioreactor), or a bead orother particle, which may be prepared from a variety of materialsincluding glass, plastic or ceramics. For certain applications,biodegradable support materials are preferred, such as cellulose andderivatives thereof, collagen, spider silk or any of a variety ofpolyesters (e.g., those derived from hydroxy acids and/or lactones) orsutures (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,012). Within certain embodiments,modulating agents and molecules comprising other CAR sequence(s) (e.g.,an RGD and/or LYHY (SEQ ID NO:55) sequence) may be attached to a supportsuch as a polymeric matrix, preferably in an alternating pattern.

Suitable methods for linking a modulating agent to a support materialwill depend upon the composition of the support and the intended use,and will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.Attachment may generally be achieved through noncovalent association,such as adsorption or affinity or, preferably, via covalent attachment(which may be a direct linkage between a modulating agent and functionalgroups on the support, or may be a linkage by way of a cross-linkingagent or linker). Attachment of a modulating agent by adsorption may beachieved by contact, in a suitable buffer, with a solid support for asuitable amount of time. The contact time varies with temperature, butis generally between about 5 seconds and 1 day, and typically betweenabout 10 seconds and 1 hour.

Covalent attachment of a modulating agent to a molecule or solid supportmay generally be achieved by first reacting the support material with abifunctional reagent that will also react with a functional group, suchas a hydroxyl, thiol, carboxyl, ketone or amino group, on the modulatingagent. For example, a modulating agent may be bound to an appropriatepolymeric support or coating using benzoquinone, by condensation of analdehyde group on the support with an amine and an active hydrogen onthe modulating agent or by condensation of an amino group on the supportwith a carboxylic acid on the modulating agent. A preferred method ofgenerating a linkage is via amino groups using glutaraldehyde. Amodulating agent may be linked to cellulose via ester linkages.Similarly, amide linkages may be suitable for linkage to other moleculessuch as keyhole limpet hemocyanin or other support materials. Multiplemodulating agents and/or molecules comprising other CAR sequences may beattached, for example, by random coupling, in which equimolar amounts ofsuch molecules are mixed with a matrix support and allowed to couple atrandom.

Although modulating agents as described herein may preferentially bindto specific tissues or cells, and thus may be sufficient to target adesired site in vivo, it may be beneficial for certain applications toinclude an additional targeting agent. Accordingly, a targeting agentmay also, or alternatively, be linked to a modulating agent tofacilitate targeting to one or more specific tissues. As used herein, a“targeting agent,” may be any substance (such as a compound or cell)that, when linked to a modulating agent enhances the transport of themodulating agent to a target tissue, thereby increasing the localconcentration of the modulating agent. Targeting agents includeantibodies or fragments thereof, receptors, ligands and other moleculesthat bind to cells of, or in the vicinity of, the target tissue. Knowntargeting agents include serum hormones, antibodies against cell surfaceantigens, lectins, adhesion molecules, tumor cell surface bindingligands, steroids, cholesterol, lymphokines, fibrinolytic enzymes andthose drugs and proteins that bind to a desired target site. Among themany monoclonal antibodies that may serve as targeting agents areanti-TAC, or other interleukin-2 receptor antibodies; 9.2.27 andNR-ML-05, reactive with the 250 kilodalton human melanoma-associatedproteoglycan; and NR-LU-10, reactive with a pancarcinoma glycoprotein.An antibody targeting agent may be an intact (whole) molecule, afragment thereof, or a functional equivalent thereof. Examples ofantibody fragments are F(ab′)2, -Fab′, Fab and F[v] fragments, which maybe produced by conventional methods or by genetic or proteinengineering. Linkage is generally covalent and may be achieved by, forexample, direct condensation or other reactions, or by way of bi- ormulti-functional linkers. Within other embodiments, it may also bepossible to target a polynucleotide encoding a modulating agent to atarget tissue, thereby increasing the local concentration of modulatingagent. Such targeting may be achieved using well known techniques,including retroviral and adenoviral infection.

For certain embodiments, it may be beneficial to also, or alternatively,link a drug to a modulating agent. As used herein, the term “drug”refers to any bioactive agent intended for administration to a mammal toprevent or treat a disease or other undesirable condition. Drugs includehormones, growth factors, proteins, peptides and other compounds. Theuse of certain specific drugs within the context of the presentinvention is discussed below.

Within certain aspects of the present invention, one or more modulatingagents as described herein may be present within a pharmaceuticalcomposition. A pharmaceutical composition comprises one or moremodulating agents in combination with one or more pharmaceutically orphysiologically acceptable carriers, diluents or excipients. Suchcompositions may comprise buffers (e.g., neutral buffered saline orphosphate buffered saline), carbohydrates (e.g., glucose, mannose,sucrose or dextrans), mannitol, proteins, polypeptides or amino acidssuch as glycine, antioxidants, chelating agents such as EDTA orglutathione, adjuvants (e.g., aluminum hydroxide) and/or preservatives.Within yet other embodiments, compositions of the present invention maybe formulated as a lyophilizate. A modulating agent (alone or incombination with a targeting agent and/or drug) may, but need not, beencapsulated within liposomes using well known technology. Compositionsof the present invention may be formulated for any appropriate manner ofadministration, including for example, topical, oral, nasal,intravenous, intracranial, intraperitoneal, subcutaneous, orintramuscular administration. For certain topical applications,formulation as a cream or lotion, using well known components, ispreferred.

For certain embodiments, as discussed below, a pharmaceuticalcomposition may further comprise a modulator of cell adhesion that ismediated by one or more molecules other than cadherins. Such modulatorsmay generally be prepared as described above, incorporating one or morenon-cadherin CAR sequences and/or antibodies thereto in place of thecadherin CAR sequences and antibodies. Such compositions areparticularly useful for situations in which it is desirable to inhibitcell adhesion mediated by multiple cell-adhesion molecules, such asother members of the cadherin gene superfamily that are not classicalcadherins (e.g., Dsg and Dsc); claudins; integrins; members of theimmunoglobulin supergene family, such as N-CAM; and other uncategorizedtransmembrane proteins, such as occludin, as well as extracellularmatrix proteins such as laminin, fibronectin, collagens, vitronectin,entactin and tenascin. Preferred CAR sequences for use are as describedabove.

A pharmaceutical composition may also contain one or more drugs, whichmay be linked to a modulating agent or may be free within thecomposition. Virtually any drug may be administered in combination witha modulating agent as described herein, for a variety of purposes asdescribed below. Examples of types of drugs that may be administeredwith a modulating agent include analgesics, anesthetics, antianginals,antifungals, antibiotics, anticancer drugs (e.g., taxol or mitomycin C),antiinflammatories (e.g., ibuprofen and indomethacin), anthelmintics,antidepressants, antidotes, antiemetics, antihistamines,antihypertensives, antimalarals, antimicrotubule agents (e.g.,colchicine or vinca alkaloids), antimigraine agents, antimicrobials,antiphsychotics, antipyretics, antiseptics, anti-signaling agents (e.g.protein kinase C inhibitors or inhibitors of intracellular calciummobilization), antiarthritics, antithrombin agents, antituberculotics,antitussives, antivirals, appetite suppressants, cardioactive drugs,chemical dependency drugs, cathartics, chemotherapeutic agents,coronary, cerebral or peripheral vasodilators, contraceptive agents,depressants, diuretics, expectorants, growth factors, hormonal agents,hypnotics, immunosuppression agents, narcotic antagonists,parasympathomimetics, sedatives, stimulants, sympathomimetics, toxins(e.g., cholera toxin), tranquilizers and urinary antiinfectives.

For imaging purposes, any of a variety of diagnostic agents may beincorporated into a pharmaceutical composition, either linked to amodulating agent or free within the composition. Diagnostic agentsinclude any substance administered to illuminate a physiologicalfunction within a patient, while leaving other physiological functionsgenerally unaffected. Diagnostic agents include metals, radioactiveisotopes and radioopaque agents (e.g., gallium, technetium, indium,strontium, iodine, barium, bromine and phosphorus-containing compounds),radiolucent agents, contrast agents, dyes (e.g., fluorescent dyes andchromophores) and enzymes that catalyze a calorimetric or fluorometricreaction. In general, such agents may be attached using a variety oftechniques as described above, and may be present in any orientation.

The compositions described herein may be administered as part of asustained release formulation (i.e., a formulation such as a capsule orsponge that effects a slow release of modulating agent followingadministration). Such formulations may generally be prepared using wellknown technology and administered by, for example, oral, rectal orsubcutaneous implantation, or by implantation at the desired targetsite. Sustained-release formulations may contain a modulating agentdispersed in a carrier matrix and/or contained within a reservoirsurrounded by a rate controlling membrane (see, e.g., European PatentApplication 710,491A). Carriers for use within such formulations arebiocompatible, and may also be biodegradable; preferably the formulationprovides a relatively constant level of modulating agent release. Theamount of modulating agent contained within a sustained releaseformulation depends upon the site of implantation, the rate and expectedduration of release and the nature of the condition to be treated orprevented.

Pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention may be administeredin a manner appropriate to the disease to be treated (or prevented).Appropriate dosages and the duration and frequency of administrationwill be determined by such factors as the condition of the patient, thetype and severity of the patient's disease and the method ofadministration. In general, an appropriate dosage and treatment regimenprovides the modulating agent(s) in an amount sufficient to providetherapeutic and/or prophylactic benefit. Within particularly preferredembodiments of the invention, a modulating agent or pharmaceuticalcomposition as described herein may be administered at a dosage rangingfrom 0.001 to 50 mg/kg body weight, preferably from 0.1 to 20 mg/kg, ona regimen of single or multiple daily doses. For topical administration,a cream typically comprises an amount of modulating agent ranging from0.00001% to 1%, preferably 0.0001% to 0.2%, and more preferably from0.0001% to 0.002%. Fluid compositions typically contain about 10 ng/mlto 5 mg/ml, preferably from about 10 μg to 2 mg/mL peptidomimetic.Appropriate dosages may generally be determined using experimentalmodels and/or clinical trials. In general, the use of the minimum dosagethat is sufficient to provide effective therapy is preferred. Patientsmay generally be monitored for therapeutic effectiveness using assayssuitable for the condition being treated or prevented, which will befamiliar to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Modulating Agent Methods of Use

In general, the modulating agents and compositions described herein maybe used for modulating the adhesion of classical cadherin-expressingcells (i.e., cells that express one or more of E-cadherin, N-cadherin,P-cadherin, R-cadherin and/or other cadherin(s) containing the HAVsequence, including as yet undiscovered classical cadherins) in vitroand/or in vivo. To modulate classical cadherin-mediated cell adhesion, acadherin-expressing cell is contacted with a modulating agent either invivo or in vitro. As noted above, modulating agents for purposes thatinvolve the disruption of cadherin-mediated cell adhesion may comprise asingle peptidomimetic or multiple peptidomimetics in close proximity.When it is desirable to also disrupt cell adhesion mediated by otheradhesion molecules, a modulating agent may additionally comprise one ormore CAR sequences bound by such adhesion molecules (and/or antibodiesor fragments thereof that bind such sequences), preferably separated bylinkers. As noted above, such linkers may or may not comprise one ormore amino acids. For enhancing cell adhesion, a modulating agent maycontain multiple peptidomimetics, preferably separated by linkers,and/or may be linked to a single molecule or to a support material asdescribed above.

Certain methods involving the disruption of cell adhesion as describedherein have an advantage over prior techniques in that they permit thepassage of molecules that are large and/or charged across barriers ofcadherin-expressing cells. As discussed in greater detail below,modulating agents as described herein may also be used to disrupt orenhance cell adhesion in a variety of other contexts. Within the methodsdescribed herein, one or more modulating agents may generally beadministered alone, or within a pharmaceutical composition. In eachspecific method described herein, as noted above, a targeting agent maybe employed to increase the local concentration of modulating agent atthe target site.

In one such aspect, the present invention provides methods for reducingunwanted cellular adhesion by administering a modulating agent asdescribed herein. Unwanted cellular adhesion can occur between tumorcells, between tumor cells and normal cells or between normal cells as aresult of surgery, injury, chemotherapy, disease, inflammation or othercondition jeopardizing cell viability or function. Preferred modulatingagents for use within such methods comprise a single peptidomimetic of acyclic peptide as described above, such as N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:81), N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20), N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36)or N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10). In addition, a modulating agent maycomprise the sequence RGD, which is bound by integrins, and/or thesequence LYHY (SEQ ID NO:55), which is bound by occludin, separated fromthe peptidomimetic via a linker. Other CAR sequences that may be presentinclude OB-cadherin, dsg and dsc CAR sequences as described above.Alternatively, a separate modulator of integrin, occludin-,OB-cadherin-, dsc- and/or dsg-mediated cell adhesion may be administeredin conjunction with the modulating agent(s), either within the samepharmaceutical composition or separately. Topical administration of themodulating agent(s) is generally preferred, but other means may also beemployed. Preferably, a fluid composition for topical administration(comprising, for example, physiological saline) comprises an amount ofpeptidomimetic as described above, and more preferably an amount rangingfrom 10 μg/mL to 1 mg/mL. Creams may generally be formulated asdescribed above. Topical administration in the surgical field may begiven once at the end of surgery by irrigation of the wound, as anintermittent or continuous irrigation with use of surgical drains in thepost operative period, or by the use of drains specifically inserted inan area of inflammation, injury or disease in cases where surgery doesnot need to be performed. Alternatively, parenteral or transcutaneousadministration may be used to achieve similar results.

In another aspect, methods are provided for enhancing the delivery of adrug through the skin of a mammal. Transdermal delivery of drugs is aconvenient and non-invasive method that can be used to maintainrelatively constant blood levels of a drug. In general, to facilitatedrug delivery via the skin, it is necessary to perturb adhesion betweenthe epithelial cells (keratinocytes) and the endothelial cells of themicrovasculature. Using currently available techniques, only small,uncharged molecules may be delivered across skin in vivo. The methodsdescribed herein are not subject to the same degree of limitation.Accordingly, a wide variety of drugs may be transported across theepithelial and endothelial cell layers of skin, for systemic or topicaladministration. Such drugs may be delivered to melanomas or may enterthe blood stream of the mammal for delivery to other sites within thebody.

To enhance the delivery of a drug through the skin, a modulating agentas described herein and a drug are contacted with the skin surface.Preferred modulating agents for use within such methods comprise asingle peptidomimetic of a cyclic peptide as described above, such asN—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81), N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20),N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36) or N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10).Multifunctional modulating agents comprising such a peptidomimeticlinked to one or more of the Dsc and/or the Dsg CAR sequences may alsobe used to disrupt epithelial cell adhesion. Such modulating agents mayalso, or alternatively, comprise the fibronectin CAR sequence RGD, whichis recognized by integrins, the occludin CAR sequence LYHY (SEQ IDNO:55) and/or a claudin CAR sequences as described above. Alternatively,a separate modulator of non-classical cadherin-mediated cell adhesionmay be administered in conjunction with the modulating agent(s), eitherwithin the same pharmaceutical composition or separately.

Contact may be achieved by direct application of the modulating agent,generally within a composition formulated as a cream or gel, or usingany of a variety of skin contact devices for transdermal application(such as those described in European Patent Application No. 566,816 A;U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,958; U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,956). A skin patch providesa convenient method of administration (particularly for slow-releaseformulations). Such patches may contain a reservoir of modulating agentand drug separated from the skin by a membrane through which the drugdiffuses. Within other patch designs, the modulating agent and drug maybe dissolved or suspended in a polymer or adhesive matrix that is thenplaced in direct contact with the patient's skin. The modulating agentand drug may then diffuse from the matrix into the skin. Modulatingagent(s) and drug(s) may be contained within the same composition orskin patch, or may be separately administered, although administrationat the same time and site is preferred. In general, the amount ofmodulating agent administered via the skin varies with the nature of thecondition to be treated or prevented, but may vary as described above.Such levels may be achieved by appropriate adjustments to the deviceused, or by applying a cream formulated as described above. Transfer ofthe drug across the skin and to the target tissue may be predicted basedon in vitro studies using, for example, a Franz cell apparatus, andevaluated in vivo by appropriate means that will be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art. As an example, monitoring of the serum levelof the administered drug over time provides a convenient measure of thedrug transfer across the skin.

Transdermal drug delivery as described herein is particularly useful insituations in which a constant rate of drug delivery is desired, toavoid fluctuating blood levels of a drug. For example, morphine is ananalgesic commonly used immediately following surgery. When givenintermittently in a parenteral form (intramuscular, intravenous), thepatient usually feels sleepy during the first hour, is well during thenext 2 hours and is in pain during the last hour because the blood levelgoes up quickly after the injection and goes down below the desirablelevel before the 4 hour interval prescribed for re-injection is reached.Transdermal administration as described herein permits the maintenanceof constant levels for long periods of time (e.g., days), which allowsadequate pain control and mental alertness at the same time. Insulinprovides another such example. Many diabetic patients need to maintain aconstant baseline level of insulin which is different from their needsat the time of meals. The baseline level may be maintained usingtransdermal administration of insulin, as described herein. Antibioticsmay also be administered at a constant rate, maintaining adequatebactericidal blood levels, while avoiding the high levels that are oftenresponsible for the toxicity (e.g., levels of gentamycin that are toohigh typically result in renal toxicity).

Drug delivery by the methods of the present invention also provide amore convenient method of drug administration. For example, it is oftenparticularly difficult to administer parenteral drugs to newborns andinfants because of the difficulty associated with finding veins ofacceptable caliber to catheterize. However, newborns and infants oftenhave a relatively large skin surface as compared to adults. Transdermaldrug delivery permits easier management of such patients and allowscertain types of care that can presently be given only in hospitals tobe given at home. Other patients who typically have similar difficultieswith venous catheterization are patients undergoing chemotherapy orpatients on dialysis. In addition, for patients undergoing prolongedtherapy, transdermal administration as described herein is moreconvenient than parenteral administration.

Transdermal administration as described herein also allows thegastrointestinal tract to be bypassed in situations where parenteraluses would not be practical. For example, there is a growing need formethods suitable for administration of therapeutic small peptides andproteins, which are typically digested within the gastrointestinaltract. The methods described herein permit administration of suchcompounds and allow easy administration over long periods of time.Patients who have problems with absorption through theirgastrointestinal tract because of prolonged ileus or specificgastrointestinal diseases limiting drug absorption may also benefit fromdrugs formulated for transdermal application as described herein.

Further, there are many clinical situations where it is difficult tomaintain compliance. For example, patients with mental problems (e.g.,patients with Alzheimer's disease or psychosis) are easier to manage ifa constant delivery rate of drug is provided without having to rely ontheir ability to take their medication at specific times of the day.Also patients who simply forget to take their drugs as prescribed areless likely to do so if they merely have to put on a skin patchperiodically (e.g., every 3 days). Patients with diseases that arewithout symptoms, like patients with hypertension, are especially atrisk of forgetting to take their medication as prescribed.

For patients taking multiple drugs, devices for transdermal applicationsuch as skin patches may be formulated with combinations of drugs thatare frequently used together. For example, many heart failure patientsare given digoxin in combination with furosemide. The combination ofboth drugs into a single skin patch facilitates administration, reducesthe risk of errors (taking the correct pills at the appropriate time isoften confusing to older people), reduces the psychological strain oftaking “so many pills,” reduces skipped dosage because of irregularactivities and improves compliance.

The methods described herein are particularly applicable to humans, butalso have a variety of veterinary uses, such as the administration ofgrowth factors or hormones (e.g., for fertility control) to an animal.

As noted above, a wide variety of drugs may be administered according tothe methods provided herein. Some examples of drug categories that maybe administered transdermally include anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g., inarthritis and in other condition) such as all NSAID, indomethacin,prednisone, etc.; analgesics (especially when oral absorption is notpossible, such as after surgery, and when parenteral administration isnot convenient or desirable), including morphine, codeine, Demerol,acetaminophen and combinations of these (e.g., codeine plusacetaminophen); antibiotics such as Vancomycin (which is not absorbed bythe GI tract and is frequently given intravenously) or a combination ofINH and Rifampicin (e.g., for tuberculosis); anticoagulants such asheparin (which is not well absorbed by the GI tract and is generallygiven parenterally, resulting in fluctuation in the blood levels with anincreased risk of bleeding at high levels and risks of inefficacy atlower levels) and Warfarin (which is absorbed by the GI tract but cannotbe administered immediately after abdominal surgery because of thenormal ileus following the procedure); antidepressants (e.g., insituations where compliance is an issue as in Alzheimer's disease orwhen maintaining stable blood levels results in a significant reductionof anti-cholinergic side effects and better tolerance by patients), suchas amitriptylin, imipramin, prozac, etc.; antihypertensive drugs (e.g.to improve compliance and reduce side effects associated withfluctuating blood levels), such as diuretics and beta-blockers (whichcan be administered by the same patch; e.g., furosemide and propanolol);antipsychotics (e.g., to facilitate compliance and make it easier forcare giver and family members to make sure that the drug is received),such as haloperidol and chlorpromazine; and anxiolytics or sedatives(e.g. to avoid the reduction of alertness related to high blood levelsafter oral administration and allow a continual benefit throughout theday by maintaining therapeutic levels constant).

Numerous other drugs may be administered as described herein, includingnaturally occurring and synthetic hormones, growth factors, proteins andpeptides. For example, insulin and human growth hormone, growth factorslike erythropoietin, interleukins and interferons may be delivered viathe skin.

Kits for administering a drug via the skin of a mammal are also providedwithin the present invention. Such kits generally comprise a device fortransdermal application (i.e., skin patch) in combination with, orimpregnated with, one or more modulating agents. A drug may additionallybe included within such kits.

Within a related embodiment, the use of modulating agents as describedherein to increase skin permeability may also facilitate sampling of theblood compartment by passive diffusion, permitting detection and/ormeasurement of the levels of specific molecules circulating in theblood. For example, application of one or more modulating agents to theskin, via a skin patch as described herein, permits the patch tofunction like a sponge to accumulate a small quantity of fluidcontaining a representative sample of the serum. The patch is thenremoved after a specified amount of time and analyzed by suitabletechniques for the compound of interest (e.g., a medication, hormone,growth factor, metabolite or marker). Alternatively, a patch may beimpregnated with reagents to permit a color change if a specificsubstance (e.g., an enzyme) is detected. Substances that can be detectedin this manner include, but are not limited to, illegal drugs such ascocaine, HIV enzymes, glucose and PSA. This technology is of particularbenefit for home testing kits.

Within a further aspect, methods are provided for enhancing delivery ofa drug to a tumor in a mammal, comprising administering a modulatingagent in combination with a drug to a tumor-bearing mammal. Modulatingagents for use within such methods include those designed to disruptE-cadherin and/or N-cadherin mediated cell adhesion, such as agents thatcomprise a single peptidomimetic of a cyclic peptide as described above,such as N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81), N—Ac—CHAVDC-NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20),N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36) or N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10).

In one particularly preferred embodiment, a modulating agent is capableof disrupting cell adhesion mediated by multiple adhesion molecules. Forexample, a single branched modulating agent (or multiple agents linkedto a single molecule or support material) may disrupt E-cadherin,N-cadherin, occludin, Dsc and Dsg mediated cell adhesion, therebydisrupting adherens junctions, tight junctions and desmosomes. Such anagent may comprise one or more peptidomimetics, as well as one or moreof the fibronectin CAR sequence RGD, which is recognized by integrins; adsg CAR sequence; a dsc CAR sequence; a claudin CAR sequence; anoccludin CAR sequence and/or an OB-cadherin CAR sequence. Such agentsserve as multifunctional disrupters of cell adhesion. Alternatively, aseparate modulator of non-classical cadherin-mediated cell adhesion maybe administered in conjunction with the modulating agent(s), eitherwithin the same pharmaceutical composition or separately. Antibodies orFab fragments directed against a cadherin CAR sequence and/or anoccludin CAR sequence may also be employed, either incorporated into amodulating agent or within a separate modulator that is administeredconcurrently.

Preferably, the modulating agent and the drug are formulated within thesame composition or drug delivery device prior to administration. Ingeneral, a modulating agent may enhance drug delivery to any tumor, andthe method of administration may be chosen based on the type of targettumor. For example, injection or topical administration as describedabove may be preferred for melanomas and other accessible tumors (e.g.,metastases from primary ovarian tumors may be treated by flushing theperitoneal cavity with the composition). Other tumors (e.g., bladdertumors) may be treated by injection of the modulating agent and the drug(such as mitomycin C) into the site of the tumor. In other instances,the composition may be administered systemically, and targeted to thetumor using any of a variety of specific targeting agents. Suitabledrugs may be identified by those of ordinary skill in the art based uponthe type of cancer to be treated (e.g., mitomycin C for bladder cancer).In general, the amount of modulating agent administered varies with themethod of administration and the nature of the tumor, within the typicalranges provided above, preferably ranging from about 1 μg/mL to about 2mg/mL, and more preferably from about 10 μg/mL to 100 μg/mL. Transfer ofthe drug to the target tumor may be evaluated by appropriate means thatwill be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, such as areduction in tumor size. Drugs may also be labeled (e.g., usingradionuclides) to permit direct observation of transfer to the targettumor using standard imaging techniques.

Within a related aspect, the present invention provides methods forinhibiting the development of a cancer (i.e., for treating or preventingcancer and/or inhibiting metastasis) in a mammal. Cancer tumors aresolid masses of cells, growing out of control, which require nourishmentvia blood vessels. The formation of new capillaries is a prerequisitefor tumor growth and the emergence of metastases. Administration of amodulating agent as described herein may disrupt the growth of suchblood vessels, thereby providing effective therapy for the cancer and/orinhibiting metastasis. Modulating agents comprising peptidomimetics mayalso be used to treat leukemias. Preferred modulating agents for usewithin such methods include those that disrupt N-cadherin mediated celladhesion, such as agents that comprise a peptidomimetic of a cyclicpeptide as described above (e.g., N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81),N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20), N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36) orN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10)). In addition, a modulating agent maycomprise the sequence RGD, which is recognized by integrins, and/or theoccludin CAR sequence LYHY (SEQ ID NO:55) separated via a linker. OtherCAR sequences that may be present include an OB-cadherin CAR sequence;dsc CAR sequence. dsg CAR sequence and/or claudin CAR sequence.Alternatively, a separate modulator of integrin-OB-cadherin-, dsc-,dsg-, claudin- and/or occludin-mediated cell adhesion may beadministered in conjunction with the modulating agent(s), either withinthe same pharmaceutical composition or separately.

A modulating agent may be administered alone (e.g., via the skin) orwithin a pharmaceutical composition. For melanomas and certain otheraccessible tumors, injection or topical administration as describedabove may be preferred. For ovarian cancers, flushing the peritonealcavity with a composition comprising one or more modulating agents mayprevent metastasis of ovarian tumor cells. Other tumors (e.g., bladdertumors, bronchial tumors or tracheal tumors) may be treated by injectionof the modulating agent into the cavity. In other instances, thecomposition may be administered systemically, and targeted to the tumorusing any of a variety of specific targeting agents, as described above.In general, the amount of modulating agent administered varies dependingupon the method of administration and the nature of the cancer, but mayvary within the ranges identified above. The effectiveness of the cancertreatment or inhibition of metastasis may be evaluated using well knownclinical observations such as the level of serum markers (e.g., CEA orPSA).

Within a further related aspect, a modulating agent may be used toinhibit angiogenesis (i.e., the growth of blood vessels frompre-existing blood vessels) in a mammal. In general, inhibition ofangiogenesis may be beneficial in patients afflicted with diseases suchas cancer or arthritis. Preferred modulating agents for use within suchmethods comprise a single peptidomimetic of a cyclic peptide asdescribed above, such as N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81),N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20), N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36) orN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10). In addition, a modulating agent for usein inhibiting angiogenesis may comprise the sequence RGD, which isrecognized by integrins, the occludin CAR sequence LYHY (SEQ ID NO:55)and/or a claudin CAR sequence, separated from the peptidomimetic via alinker. Alternatively, a separate modulator of integrin- and/oroccludin-mediated cell adhesion may be administered in conjunction withthe modulating agent(s), either within the same pharmaceuticalcomposition or separately.

The effect of a particular modulating agent on angiogenesis maygenerally be determined by evaluating the effect of the agent on bloodvessel formation. Such a determination may generally be performed, forexample, using a chick chorioallantoic membrane assay (Iruela-Arispe etal., Molecular Biology of the Cell 6:327-343, 1995). Briefly, amodulating agent may be embedded in a mesh composed of vitrogen at oneor more concentrations (e.g., ranging from about 1 to 100 μg/mesh). Themesh(es) may then be applied to chick chorioallantoic membranes. After24 hours, the effect of the agent may be determined using computerassisted morphometric analysis. A modulating agent should inhibitangiogenesis by at least 25% at a concentration of 33 μg/mesh.

The addition of a targeting agent may be beneficial, particularly whenthe administration is systemic. Suitable modes of administration anddosages depend upon the condition to be prevented or treated but, ingeneral, administration by injection is appropriate. Dosages may vary asdescribed above. The effectiveness of the inhibition may be evaluatedgrossly by assessing the inability of the tumor to maintain growth andmicroscopically by an absence of nerves at the periphery of the tumor.

In yet another related aspect, the present invention provides methodsfor inducing apoptosis in a cadherin-expressing cell. In general,patients afflicted with cancer may benefit from such treatment.Preferred modulating agents for use within such methods comprise asingle peptidomimetic of a cyclic peptide as described above, such asN—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81), N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20),N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36) or N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10).Modulating agents comprising a CAR sequence for a second adhesionmolecule (e.g., RGD, LYHY (SEQ ID NO:55) or a CAR sequence forOB-cadherin, a desmoglein, a desmocollin or claudin) are also preferred.Alternatively, a separate modulator of cell adhesion mediated by anadhesion molecule that is not a cadherin may be administered inconjunction with the modulating agent(s), either within the samepharmaceutical composition or separately. Administration may be topical,via injection or by other means, and the addition of a targeting agentmay be beneficial, particularly when the administration is systemic.Suitable modes of administration and dosages depend upon the locationand nature of the cells for which induction of apoptosis is desired but,in general, dosages may vary as described above. A biopsy may beperformed to evaluate the level of induction of apoptosis.

The present invention also provides methods for enhancing drug deliveryto the central nervous system of a mammal. The blood/brain barrier islargely impermeable to most neuroactive agents, and delivery of drugs tothe brain of a mammal often requires invasive procedures. Using amodulating agent as described herein, however, delivery may be by, forexample, systemic administration of a peptidomimetic-drug-targetingagent combination, injection of a peptidomimetic (alone or incombination with a drug and/or targeting agent) into the carotid arteryor application of a skin patch comprising a modulating agent to the headof the patient. Certain preferred peptidomimetics for use within suchmethods are relatively small (e.g., peptidomimetics of cyclic peptideshaving a ring size of 4-10 residues; preferably 5-7 residues) andinclude peptidomimetics of peptides comprising a 5-residue ring such asN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) and N—Ac—KHAVD-NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:12). Otherpreferred modulating agents for use within such methods comprise apeptidomimetic of N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81), N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQID NO:36) or N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20). Also preferred arebi-functional modulating agents comprising an occludin CAR sequence LYHY(SEQ ID NO:55) and/or claudin CAR sequence, preferably joined by alinker. Alternatively, a separate modulator of occludin-mediated celladhesion may be administered in conjunction with the modulatingagent(s), either within the same pharmaceutical composition orseparately. Modulating agents may further comprise antibodies or Fabfragments directed against the N-cadherin CAR sequenceFHLRAHAVDINGNQV-NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:75). Fab fragments directed against theoccludin CAR sequence regionGVNPTAQSSGSLYGSQIYALCNQFYTPAATGLYVDQYLYHYCVVDPQE (SEQ ID NO:78) may alsobe employed, either incorporated into the modulating agent oradministered concurrently as a separate modulator.

In general, the amount of modulating agent administered varies with themethod of administration and the nature of the condition to be treatedor prevented, but typically varies as described above. Transfer of thedrug to the central nervous system may be evaluated by appropriate meansthat will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, such asmagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or PET scan (positron emittedtomography).

In still further aspects, the present invention provides methods forenhancing adhesion of cadherin-expressing cells. Within certainembodiments, a modulating agent may be linked to a support molecule orto a solid support as described above, resulting in a matrix thatcomprises multiple modulating agents. Within one such embodiment, thesupport is a polymeric matrix to which modulating agents and moleculescomprising other CAR sequence(s) are attached (e.g. modulating agentsand molecules comprising RGD, LYHY (SEQ ID NO:55) or a CAR sequence forOB-cadherin, a desmoglein, a desmocollin or claudin, may be attached tothe same matrix, preferably in an alternating pattern). Such matricesmay be used in contexts in which it is desirable to enhance adhesionmediated by multiple cell adhesion molecules. Alternatively, themodulating agent itself may comprise multiple peptidomimetics, separatedby linkers as described above. Either way, the modulating agent(s)function as a “biological glue” to bind multiple cadherin-expressingcells within a variety of contexts.

Within one embodiment, such modulating agents may be used to enhancewound healing and/or reduce scar tissue in a mammal. Preferredmodulating agents for use within such methods comprise a singlepeptidomimetic of a cyclic peptide as described above, such asN—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81), N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20),N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36) or N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10).Modulating agents that are linked to a biocompatible and biodegradablematrix such as cellulose or collagen are particularly preferred. For usewithin such methods, a modulating agent should have a free amino orhydroxyl group. Multi-functional modulating agents further comprisingthe fibronectin CAR sequence RGD, which is recognized by integrins, aswell CAR sequences for OB-cadherin, claudin, dsc and/or dsg, may also beused as potent stimulators of wound healing and/or to reduce scartissue. Such agents may also, or alternatively, comprise the occludinCAR sequence LYHY (SEQ ID NO:55). Alternatively, one or more separatemodulators of integrin-, Dsc-, Dsg-, claudin-, OB-cadherin- and/oroccludin-mediated cell adhesion may be administered in conjunction withthe modulating agent(s), either within the same pharmaceuticalcomposition or separately.

The modulating agents are generally administered topically to the wound,where they may facilitate closure of the wound and may augment, or evenreplace, stitches. Similarly, administration of matrix-linked modulatingagents may facilitate cell adhesion in foreign tissue implants (e.g.,skin grafting and prosthetic implants) and may prolong the duration andusefulness of collagen injection. In general, the amount ofmatrix-linked peptidomimetic administered to a wound, graft or implantsite varies with the severity of the wound and/or the nature of thewound, graft, or implant, but may vary as discussed above.

Within another embodiment, one or more modulating agents may be linkedto the interior surface of a tissue culture plate or other cell culturesupport, such as for use in a bioreactor. Such linkage may be performedby any suitable technique, as described above. Modulating agents linkedin this fashion may generally be used to immobilize cadherin-expressingcells. For example, dishes or plates coated with one or more modulatingagents may be used to immobilize cadherin-expressing cells within avariety of assays and screens. Within bioreactors (i.e., systems forlarger scale production of cells or organoids), modulating agents maygenerally be used to improve cell attachment and stabilize cell growth.Modulating agents may also be used within bioreactors to support theformation and function of highly differentiated organoids derived, forexample, from dispersed populations of fetal mammalian cells.Bioreactors containing biomatrices of peptidomimetic(s) may also be usedto facilitate the production of specific proteins.

Modulating agents as described herein may be used within a variety ofbioreactor configurations. In general, a bioreactor is designed with aninterior surface area sufficient to support larger numbers of adherentcells. This surface area can be provided using membranes, tubes,microtiter wells, columns, hollow fibers, roller bottles, plates,dishes, beads or a combination thereof. A bioreactor may becompartmentalized. The support material within a bioreactor may be anysuitable material known in the art; preferably, the support materialdoes not dissolve or swell in water. Preferred support materialsinclude, but are not limited to, synthetic polymers such as acrylics,vinyls, polyethylene, polypropylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, nylons,polyurethanes, polyamides, polysulfones and poly(ethyleneterephthalate); ceramics; glass and silica.

Modulating agents may also be used, within other aspects of the presentinvention, to enhance and/or direct neurological growth. In one aspect,neurite outgrowth may be enhanced and/or directed by contacting a neuronwith one or more modulating agents. Preferred modulating agents for usewithin such methods are linked to a polymeric matrix or other support,and comprise a peptidomimetic of a cyclic peptide as described above,such as N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81), N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20),N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36) or N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10). Inaddition, a modulating agent further comprising RGD and/or YIGSR (SEQ IDNO:52), which are bound by integrins, and/or the N-CAM CAR sequenceKYSFNYDGSE (SEQ ID NO:53) may further facilitate neurite outgrowth.Other CAR sequences that may also, or alternatively, be included are CARsequences for cadherin-7, cadherin-8, cadherin-12, cadherin-14,cadherin-15, PB-cadherin, protocadherins and cadherin-related neuronalreceptors. Modulating agents comprising antibodies, or fragmentsthereof, may be used within this aspect of the present invention withoutthe use of linkers or support materials. Preferred antibody modulatingagents include Fab fragments directed against the N-cadherin CARsequence FHLRAHAVDINGNQV-NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:75). Fab fragments directedagainst the N-CAM CAR sequence KYSFNYDGSE (SEQ ID NO:53) may also beemployed, either incorporated into the modulating agent or administeredconcurrently as a separate modulator.

The method of achieving contact and the amount of modulating agent usedwill depend upon the location of the neuron and the extent and nature ofthe outgrowth desired. For example, a neuron may be contacted (e.g., viaimplantation) with modulating agent(s) linked to a support material suchas a suture, fiber nerve guide or other prosthetic device such that theneurite outgrowth is directed along the support material. Alternatively,a tubular nerve guide may be employed, in which the lumen of the nerveguide contains a composition comprising the modulating agent(s). Invivo, such nerve guides or other supported modulating agents may beimplanted using well known techniques to, for example, facilitate thegrowth of severed neuronal connections and/or to treat spinal cordinjuries. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art thatthe structure and composition of the support should be appropriate forthe particular injury being treated. In vitro, a polymeric matrix maysimilarly be used to direct the growth of neurons onto patternedsurfaces as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,628.

Within another such aspect, one or more modulating agents may be usedfor therapy of a demyelinating neurological disease in a mammal. Thereare a number of demyelinating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis,characterized by oligodendrocyte death. It has been found, within thecontext of the present invention, that Schwann cell migration onastrocytes is inhibited by N-cadherin. Modulating agents that disruptN-cadherin mediated cell adhesion as described herein may be implantedinto the central nervous system with cells capable of replenishing anoligodendrocyte population, such as Schwann cells, oligodendrocytes oroligodendrocyte precursor cells. Such therapy may facilitate of the cellcapable of replenishing an oligodendrocyte population and permit thepractice of Schwann cell or oligodendrocyte replacement therapy.

Multiple sclerosis patients suitable for treatment may be identified bycriteria that establish a diagnosis of clinically definite or clinicallyprobable MS (see Poser et al., Ann. Neurol. 13:227, 1983). Candidatepatients for preventive therapy may be identified by the presence ofgenetic factors, such as HLA-type DR2a and DR2b, or by the presence ofearly disease of the relapsing remitting type.

Schwann cell grafts may be implanted directly into the brain along withthe modulating agent(s) using standard techniques. Preferred modulatingagents for use within such methods comprise a peptidomimetic of a cyclicpeptide as described above, such as N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81),N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20), N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36) orN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10). Modulating agents comprising antibodies,or fragments thereof, may also be used within this aspect of the presentinvention. Preferred antibody modulating agents include Fab fragmentsdirected against the N-cadherin CAR sequence FHLRAHAVDINGNQV-NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:75). Suitable amounts of peptidomimetic generally range as describedabove, preferably from about 10 μg/mL to about 1 mg/mL.

Alternatively, a modulating agent may be implanted with oligodendrocyteprogenitor cells (OPs) derived from donors not afflicted with thedemyelinating disease. The myelinating cell of the CNS is theoligodendrocyte. Although mature oligodendrocytes and immature cells ofthe oligodendrocyte lineage, such as the oligodendrocyte type 2astrocyte progenitor, have been used for transplantation, OPs are morewidely used. OPs are highly motile and are able to migrate fromtransplant sites to lesioned areas where they differentiate into maturemyelin-forming oligodendrocytes and contribute to repair of demyelinatedaxons (see e.g. Groves et al., Nature 362:453-55, 1993; Baron-VanEvercooren et al., Glia 16:147-64, 1996). OPs can be isolated usingroutine techniques known in the art (see e.g. Milner andFrench-Constant, Development 120:3497-3506, 1994), from many regions ofthe CNS including brain, cerebellum, spinal cord, optic nerve andolfactory bulb. Substantially greater yields of OP's are obtained fromembryonic or neonatal rather than adult tissue. OPs may be isolated fromhuman embryonic spinal cord and cultures of neurospheres established.Human fetal tissue is a potential valuable and renewable source of donorOP's for future, long range transplantation therapies of demyelinatingdiseases such as MS.

OPs can be expanded in vitro if cultured as “homotypic aggregates” or“spheres” (Avellana-Adalid et al, J. Neurosci. Res. 45:558-70, 1996).Spheres (sometimes called “oligospheres” or “neurospheres”) are formedwhen OPs are grown in suspension in the presence of growth factors suchas PDGF and FGF. OPs can be harvested from spheres by mechanicaldissociation and used for subsequent transplantation or establishment ofnew spheres in culture. Alternatively, the spheres themselves may betransplanted, providing a “focal reservoir” of OPs (Avellana-Adalid etal, J. Neurosci. Res. 45:558-70, 1996).

An alternative source of OP may be spheres derived from CNS stem cells.Recently, Reynolds and Weiss, Dev. Biol. 165:1-13, 1996 have describedspheres formed from EGF-responsive cells derived from embryonicneuroepithelium, which appear to retain the pluripotentiality exhibitedby neuroepithelium in vivo. Cells dissociated from these spheres areable to differentiate into neurons, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes whenplated on adhesive substrates in the absence of EGF, suggesting thatEGF-responsive cells derived from undifferentiated embryonicneuroepithelium may represent CNS stem cells (Reynolds and Weiss, Dev.Biol. 165:1-13, 1996). Spheres derived from CNS stem cells provide analternative source of OP which may be manipulated in vitro fortransplantation in vivo. Spheres composed of CNS stem cells may furtherprovide a microenvironment conducive to increased survival, migration,and differentiation of the OPs in vivo.

The use of neurospheres for the treatment of MS may be facilitated bymodulating agents that enhance cell migration from the spheres. In theabsence of modulating agent, the cells within the spheres adhere tightlyto one another and migration out of the spheres is hindered. Modulatingagents that disrupt N-cadherin mediated cell adhesion as describedherein, when injected with neurospheres into the central nervous system,may improve cell migration and increase the efficacy of OP replacementtherapy. Neurosphere grafts may be implanted directly into the centralnervous system along with the modulating agent(s) using standardtechniques.

Alternatively, a modulating agent may be administered alone or within apharmaceutical composition. The duration and frequency of administrationwill be determined by such factors as the condition of the patient, andthe type and severity of the patient's disease. Within particularlypreferred embodiments of the invention, the peptidomimetic orpharmaceutical composition may be administered at a dosage ranging from0.1 mg/kg to 20 mg/kg, although appropriate dosages may be determined byclinical trials. Methods of administration include injection,intravenous or intrathecal (i.e., directly in cerebrospinal fluid).

Effective treatment of multiple sclerosis may be evidenced by any of thefollowing criteria: EDSS (extended disability status scale), appearanceof exacerbations or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). The EDSS is ameans to grade clinical impairment due to MS (Kurtzke, Neurology33:1444, 1983), and a decrease of one full step defines an effectivetreatment in the context of the present invention (Kurtzke, Ann. Neurol.36:573-79, 1994). Exacerbations are defined as the appearance of a newsymptom that is attributable to MS and accompanied by an appropriate newneurologic abnormality (Sipe et al., Neurology 34:1368, 1984). Therapyis deemed to be effective if there is a statistically significantdifference in the rate or proportion of exacerbation-free patientsbetween the treated group and the placebo group or a statisticallysignificant difference in the time to first exacerbation or duration andseverity in the treated group compared to control group. MRI can be usedto measure active lesions using gadolinium-DTPA-enhanced imaging(McDonald et al. Ann. Neurol. 36:14, 1994) or the location and extent oflesions using T₂-weighted techniques. The presence, location and extentof MS lesions may be determined by radiologists using standardtechniques. Improvement due to therapy is established when there is astatistically significant improvement in an individual patient comparedto baseline or in a treated group versus a placebo group.

Efficacy of the modulating agent in the context of prevention may bejudged based on clinical measurements such as the relapse rate and EDSS.Other criteria include a change in area and volume of T2 images on MRI,and the number and volume of lesions determined by gadolinium enhancedimages.

Within a related aspect, the present invention provides methods forfacilitating migration of an N-cadherin expressing cell on astrocytes,comprising contacting an N-cadherin expressing cell with (a) a celladhesion modulating agent that inhibits cadherin-mediated cell adhesion,wherein the modulating agent comprises a peptidomimetic as providedherein; and (b) one or more astrocytes; and thereby facilitatingmigration of the N-cadherin expressing cell on the astrocytes. PreferredN-cadherin expressing cells include Schwann cells, oligodendrocytes andoligodendrocyte progenitor cells.

Within another aspect, modulating agents as described herein may be usedfor modulating the immune system of a mammal in any of several ways.Cadherins are expressed on immature B and T cells (thymocytes and bonemarrow pre-B cells), as well as on specific subsets of activated B and Tlymphocytes and some hematological malignancies (see Lee et al., J.Immunol. 152:5653-5659, 1994; Munro et al., Cellular Immunol.169:309-312, 1996; Tsutsui et al., J. Biochem. 120:1034-1039, 1996;Cepek et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:6567-6571, 1996). Modulatingagents may generally be used to modulate specific steps within cellularinteractions during an immune response or during the dissemination ofmalignant lymphocytes.

For example, a modulating agent as described herein may be used to treatdiseases associated with excessive generation of otherwise normal Tcells. Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it isbelieved that the interaction of cadherins on maturing T cells and Bcell subsets contributes to protection of these cells from programmedcell death. A modulating agent may decrease such interactions, leadingto the induction of programmed cell death. Accordingly, modulatingagents may be used to treat certain types of diabetes and rheumatoidarthritis, particularly in young children where the cadherin expressionon thymic pre-T cells is greatest.

Modulating agents may also be administered to patients afflicted withcertain skin disorders (such as cutaneous lymphomas), acute B cellleukemia and excessive immune reactions involving the humoral immunesystem and generation of immunoglobulins, such as allergic responses andantibody-mediated graft rejection. In addition, patients withcirculating cadherin-positive malignant cells (e.g., during regimeswhere chemotherapy or radiation therapy is eliminating a major portionof the malignant cells in bone marrow and other lymphoid tissue) maybenefit from treatment with a peptidomimetic. Such treatment may alsobenefit patients undergoing transplantation with peripheral blood stemcells.

Preferred modulating agents for use within such methods include thosethat disrupt E-cadherin and/or N-cadherin mediated cell adhesion, suchas agents that comprise a peptidomimetic of a cyclic peptide asdescribed above (e.g., N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81), N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂(SEQ ID NO:20), N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36) or N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:10)). In addition, a preferred modulating agent may comprise one ormore additional CAR sequences, such as the sequence RGD, which is boundby integrins, as well as CAR sequences for occludin, N-CAM, OB-cadherin,cadherin-5, cadherin-6 and cadherin-8. As noted above, such additionalsequence(s) may be separated from the peptidomimetic via a linker.Alternatively, a separate modulator of integrin-mediated cell adhesionmay be administered in conjunction with the modulating agent(s), eitherwithin the same pharmaceutical composition or separately.

Within the above methods, the modulating agent(s) are preferablyadministered systemically (usually by injection) or topically. Apeptidomimetic may be linked to a targeting agent. As noted above, amodulating agent may further be linked to a targeting agent. Forexample, targeting to the bone marrow may be beneficial. A suitabledosage is sufficient to effect a statistically significant reduction inthe population of B and/or T cells that express cadherin and/or animprovement in the clinical manifestation of the disease being treated.Typical dosages range as described above.

Within further aspects, the present invention provides methods and kitsfor preventing pregnancy in a mammal. In general, disruption ofE-cadherin function prevents the adhesion of trophoblasts and theirsubsequent fusion to form syncitiotrophoblasts. In one embodiment, oneor more modulating agents as described herein may be incorporated intoany of a variety of well known contraceptive devices, such as spongessuitable for intravaginal insertion (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,224)or capsules for subdermal implantation. Other modes of administrationare possible, however, including transdermal administration, formodulating agents linked to an appropriate targeting agent. Preferredmodulating agents for use within such methods comprise a singlepeptidomimetic of a cyclic peptide as described above, such asN—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81), N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20),N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36) or N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10). Inaddition, a preferred modulating agent may comprise additional CARsequences, such as the sequence RGD, which is bound by integrins. Asnoted above, such additional sequences may be separated from thepeptidomimetic via a linker. Alternatively, a separate modulator ofintegrin-mediated cell adhesion may be administered in conjunction withthe modulating agent(s), either within the same pharmaceuticalcomposition or separately.

Suitable methods for incorporation into a contraceptive device dependupon the type of device and are well known in the art. Such devicesfacilitate administration of the peptidomimetic(s) to the uterine regionand may provide a sustained release of the peptidomimetic(s). Ingeneral, peptidomimetic(s) may be administered via a contraceptivedevice at a dosage ranging from 0.1 to 20 mg/kg, although appropriatedosages may be determined by monitoring hCG levels in the urine. hCG isproduced by the placenta, and levels of this hormone rise in the urineof pregnant women. The urine hCG levels can be assessed byradio-immunoassay using well known techniques. Kits for preventingpregnancy generally comprise a contraceptive device impregnated with oneor more peptidomimetics.

Alternatively, a sustained release formulation of one or morepeptidomimetics may be implanted, typically subdermally, in a mammal forthe prevention of pregnancy. Such implantation may be performed usingwell known techniques. Preferably, the implanted formulation provides adosage as described above, although the minimum effective dosage may bedetermined by those of ordinary skill in the art using, for example, anevaluation of hCG levels in the urine of women.

The present invention also provides methods for increasingvasopermeability in a mammal by administering one or more modulatingagents or pharmaceutical compositions. Within blood vessels, endothelialcell adhesion (mediated by N-cadherin) results in decreased vascularpermeability. Accordingly, modulating agents as described herein may beused to increase vascular permeability. Within certain embodiments,preferred modulating agents for use within such methods include peptidescapable of decreasing both endothelial and tumor cell adhesion. Suchmodulating agents may be used to facilitate the penetration ofanti-tumor therapeutic or diagnostic agents (e.g. monoclonal antibodies)through endothelial cell permeability barriers and tumor barriers.Preferred modulating agents for use within such methods comprise asingle peptidomimetic of a cyclic peptide as described above, such asN—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81), N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20),N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36) or N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10). Inaddition, a preferred modulating agent may comprise an occludin CARsequence LYHY (SEQ ID NO:55) and/or a CAR sequence for OB-cadherin orclaudin. As noted above, such an additional sequence may be separatedfrom the peptidomimetic via a linker. Alternatively, a separatemodulator of occludin mediated cell adhesion may be administered inconjunction with one or modulating agents, either within the samepharmaceutical composition or separately.

Within certain embodiments, preferred modulating agents for use withinsuch methods include peptidomimetics capable of decreasing bothendothelial and tumor cell adhesion. Such modulating agents may be usedto facilitate the penetration of anti-tumor therapeutic or diagnosticagents (e.g., monoclonal antibodies) through endothelial cellpermeability barriers and tumor barriers. For example, a modulatingagent may comprise a peptidomimetic of a cyclic peptide having flankingE-cadherin-specific sequences and a peptidomimetic of a cyclic peptidehaving an HAV sequence with flanking N-cadherin-specific sequences.Alternatively, separate modulating agents capable of disrupting N- andE-cadherin mediated adhesion may be administered concurrently.

In one particularly preferred embodiment, a modulating agent is furthercapable of disrupting cell adhesion mediated by multiple adhesionmolecules. Such an agent may additionally comprise an RGD sequence, aDsc CAR sequence, a Dsg CAR sequence and/or the occludin CAR sequenceLYHY (SEQ ID NO:55). Alternatively, a separate modulator ofnon-classical cadherin-mediated cell adhesion may be administered inconjunction with the modulating agent(s), either within the samepharmaceutical composition or separately. Fab fragments directed againstany of the above CAR sequences may also be employed, either incorporatedinto a modulating agent or within a separate modulator that isadministered concurrently.

Treatment with a modulating agent may be appropriate, for example, priorto administration of an anti-tumor therapeutic or diagnostic agent(e.g., a monoclonal antibody or other macromolecule), an antimicrobialagent or an anti-inflammatory agent, in order to increase theconcentration of such agents in the vicinity of the target tumor,organism or inflammation without increasing the overall dose to thepatient. Modulating agents for use within such methods may be linked toa targeting agent to further increase the local concentration ofmodulating agent, although systemic administration of a vasoactive agenteven in the absence of a targeting agent increases the perfusion ofcertain tumors relative to other tissues. Suitable targeting agentsinclude antibodies and other molecules that specifically bind to tumorcells or to components of structurally abnormal blood vessels. Forexample, a targeting agent may be an antibody that binds to a fibrindegradation product or a cell enzyme such as a peroxidase that isreleased by granulocytes or other cells in necrotic or inflamed tissues.

Administration via intravenous injection or transdermal administrationis generally preferred. Effective dosages are generally sufficient toincrease localization of a subsequently administered diagnostic ortherapeutic agent to an extent that improves the clinical efficacy oftherapy of accuracy of diagnosis to a statistically significant degree.Comparison may be made between treated and untreated tumor host animalsto whom equivalent doses of the diagnostic or therapeutic agent areadministered. In general, dosages range as described above.

Within a further aspect, modulating agents as described herein may beused for controlled inhibition of synaptic stability, resulting inincreased synaptic plasticity. Within this aspect, administration of oneor more modulating agents may be advantageous for repair processeswithin the brain, as well as learning and memory, in which neuralplasticity is a key early event in the remodeling of synapses. Celladhesion molecules, particularly N-cadherin and E-cadherin, can functionto stabilize synapses, and loss of this function is thought to be theinitial step in the remodeling of the synapse that is associated withlearning and memory (Doherty et al., J. Neurobiology, 26:437-446, 1995;Martin and Kandel, Neuron, 17:567-570, 1996; Fannon and Colman, Neuron,17:423-434, 1996). Inhibition of cadherin function by administration ofone or more modulating agents that inhibit cadherin function maystimulate learning and memory.

Preferred modulating agents for use within such methods include thosethat disrupt E-cadherin and/or N-cadherin mediated cell adhesion, suchas agents that comprise a single peptidomimetic of a cyclic peptide asdescribed above (e.g., N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81), N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂(SEQ ID NO:20), N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36) or N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:10)). In addition, a preferred modulating agent may comprise one ormore non-classical cadherin CAR sequences, such as the sequence RGD,which is bound by integrins, the N-CAM CAR sequence KYSFNYDGSE (SEQ IDNO:53) and/or a cadherin-related neuronal receptor CAR sequence. Asnoted above, such additional sequence(s) may be separated from thepeptidomimetic via a linker. Alternatively, a separate modulator ofintegrin and/or N-CAM mediated cell adhesion may be administered inconjunction with the modulating agent(s), either within the samepharmaceutical composition or separately. For such aspects,administration may be via encapsulation into a delivery vehicle such asa liposome, using standard techniques, and injection into, for example,the carotid artery. Alternatively, a modulating agent may be linked to adisrupter of the blood-brain barrier. In general dosages range asdescribed above.

Within further aspects, peptidomimetics may be used to facilitate cellidentification and sorting in vitro or imaging in vivo, permitting theselection of cells expressing different cadherins (or different cadherinlevels). Preferably, the peptidomimetic(s) for use in such methods arelinked to a detectable marker. Suitable markers are well known in theart and include radionuclides, luminescent groups, fluorescent groups,enzymes, dyes, constant immunoglobulin domains and biotin. Within onepreferred embodiment, a peptidomimetic linked to a fluorescent marker,such as fluorescein, is contacted with the cells, which are thenanalyzed by fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS).

The following Examples are offered by way of illustration and not by wayof limitation.

EXAMPLE 1 Preparation of Representative Cyclic Peptides

This Example illustrates the solid phase synthesis of representativecyclic peptides.

Peptides were generally assembled on methylbenzhydrylamine resin (MBHAresin) for the C-terminal amide peptides. The traditional Merrifieldresins were used for any C-terminal acid peptides. Bags of apolypropylene mesh material were filled with the resin and soaked indichloromethane. The resin packets were washed three times with 5%diisopropylethylamine in dichloromethane and then washed withdichloromethane. The packets are then sorted and placed into a Nalgenebottle containing a solution of the amino acid of interest indichloromethane. An equal amount of diisopropylcarbodiimide (DIC) indichloromethane was added to activate the coupling reaction. The bottlewas shaken for one hour to ensure completion of the reaction. Thereaction mixture was discarded and the packets washed with DMF. TheN-α-Boc was removed by acidolysis using a 55% TFA in dichloromethane for30 minutes leaving the TFA salt of the α-amino group. The bags werewashed and the synthesis completed by repeating the same procedure whilesubstituting for the corresponding amino acid at the coupling step.Acetylation of the N-terminal was performed by reacting the peptideresins with a solution of acetic anhydride in dichloromethane in thepresence of diisopropylethylamine. The peptide was then side-chaindeprotected and cleaved from the resin at 0° C. with liquid HF in thepresence of anisole as a carbocation scavenger.

The crude peptides were purified by reversed-phase high-performanceliquid chromatography. Purified linear precursors of the cyclic peptideswere solubilized in 75% acetic acid at a concentration of 2-10 mg/mL. A10% solution of iodine in methanol was added dropwise until a persistentcoloration was obtained. A 5% ascorbic acid solution in water was thenadded to the mixture until discoloration. The disulfide bridgecontaining compounds were then purified by HPLC and characterized byanalytical HPLC and by mass spectral analysis.

N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) was synthesized on a 396-5000 AdvancedChemTech synthesizer using a Rink resin(4-(2′,4′-Dimethoxyphenyl-Fmoc-aminomethyl)-phenoxy resin), whichprovided C-terminal amides using Fmoc chemistries. The Fmoc protectinggroup on the resin was removed with piperidine and coupling of the aminoacids to the resin initiated. Two coupling reactions in NMP(N-methylpyrrolidinone) per amino acid were performed. The firstcoupling was carried out using DIC (diisopropylcarbodiimide) and thesecond coupling used HBTU (O-benzotriazole-N,N,N′,N′,-tetramethyluroniumhexafluorophosphate) in the presence of DIPEA (diisopropylethylamine).Both couplings were done in the presence of HOBt (hydroxybenzotriazole)with the exception of histidine and the final cysteine. The tritylprotecting group of the imidazole side chain of histidine is not stablein the presence of HOBt. Acetylation of the free amine on the N-terminuswas carried out with acetic anhydride in NMP in the presence of DIPEA.The linear peptide was then cleaved from the resin with TFA indichloromethane. This procedure also removed the trityl protecting groupon the imidazole side chain of histidine. The crude linear peptide amidewas then cyclized using chlorosilane-sulfoxide oxidation method to givethe disulfide peptide. The crude cyclic peptide was purified usingreverse-phase liquid chromatography. N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81) andN—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20) were synthesized using the sameprocedure, except that the cleavage cocktail (TFA, Dichloromethane) willalso remove the OtBu protecting group of tyrosine.

EXAMPLE 2 Generation of Three-Dimensional Structures of RepresentativeCyclic Peptides

This Example illustrates the use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonancetechniques to determine the three-dimensional structure of therepresentative cyclic peptides N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10),N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20), N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81) andN—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36).

The 3-dimensional structure of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) wasdetermined using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) techniques combinedwith molecular modelling. Experiments were performed using either aBruker Avance-800 or Bruker Avance-500 NMR spectrometer equipped withpulse field gradient units. NMR data acquisition was carried out inaqueous systems that closely mimic physiological conditions. Morespecifically, all samples were analyzed in buffer containing 20 mMNaPO₄, 0.2 mM EDTA, 150 mM NaCl and 10% D₂O, with the pH adjusted to 6.8both before and after the addition of DMSO-d₆. The final volume insidethe NMR tube was 500 μL. The ratio of DMSO:buffer was 2:1 (333 μL DMSO:166.67 μL Buffer/10% D₂O; pH 6.8). Data acquisition for N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂(SEQ ID NO:10) was carried out at 288K using the Bruker AMX-800 NMRspectrometer. Data acquisition for N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81) wascarried out at both 278K and 288K using the Bruker Avance-500 NMRspectrometer, and data acquisition for N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20)was carried out at 278K. Data was collected at two differenttemperatures for this compound in an attempt to remove the degeneracyobserved at 288K with the NH proton of valine and the H∈1 ring proton ofhistidine and thus remove any ambiguity to the subsequent assignment. Asthe degeneracy was not affected by the temperature change, the dataacquired at 288K was used for the proton assignment. Data acquisitionfor N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36) was carried out at 288K and at 278Kusing the Bruker Avance-800 NMR spectrometer. Data was collected at thelower temperature in an attempt to increase the number of crosspeaks inthe NOESY spectra. A greater number of crosspeaks were observed in theNOESY spectral data acquired at 278K and this data set was used for theproton assignment and structure determination. The concentration ofcompound present in the NMR tube was dependent on whether or notaggregation was present as observed by visual inspection of the solutionor via changes to the ¹H NMR spectrum. Therefore ¹H NMR were run atvarious decreasing concentrations until no further changes to thespectrum were observed. The concentration used for N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQID NO:10) was 8 mM, the concentration used for N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:81) was 2 mM, the concentration used for N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:20) was 1 mM and the concentration used for N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:36) was 1 mM. As some changes to the ¹H NMR spectra of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂(SEQ ID NO:10) were observed with decreasing concentration, 2D-NMR(i.e., NOESY, DQF-COSY and TOCSY) experiments with N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQID NO:10) were also carried out at 2 mM. The concentration effectsobserved in the ¹H NMR spectra of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) did notinfluence the 3-D structure determined at 2 mM, as the latter wasvirtually identical to that obtained when the NMR experiments werecarried out at 8 mM.

The water solvent resonance was suppressed by using the WATERGATEprocedure (Piotto et al., J. Biomol. NMR 2:661-665, 1992). A purgingfield gradient pulse and a water flipback pulse were applied at the endof the mixing period for NOESY, ROESY and TOCSY experiments to maintainwater at equilibrium conditions. These special pulse sequences helpminimize the loss of resonance intensities of fast exchanging NH protonsat neutral pH conditions (Fulton et al., J. Biomol. NMR 8:213-218,1996). Sine modulation along the t1-dimension was applied with aninitial t1 delay adjusted so that the zero and first-order phasecorrections along F1 were 90 and 0 degrees respectively (Ni, J. Magn.Reson. 96:651-656, 1992). The mixing times were 100 and 200 ms at 800MHz for NOESY experiments and 71.28 ms for TOCSY experiments with theTOWNY-16 mixing sequence (Kadkhodaei et al., J. Magn. Reson.A105:104-107, 1993). The mixing times were 150 and 250 ms at 500 MHz forNOESY experiments and 70 ms for TOCSY experiments with the TOWNY-16mixing sequence (Kadkhodaei et al., J. Magn. Reson. A105:104-107, 1993).Typically, the FID data were acquired with 2048 data points for each FIDwith 256 and 512 t1-increments with the 800 MHz instrument and 512 and1024 t1-increments with the 500 MHz instrument. All NMR data wereprocessed using spectrometer software. Baseline corrections were appliedto the NOESY, ROESY and TOCSY spectra using the standard Brukerpolynomial method.

The sequence-specific assignments of the proton resonances wereaccomplished by use of standard methods (see Wuthrich, NMR of Proteinsand Nucleic Acids, Wiley & Sons, New York, 1986). That is, each spinsystem was identified by COSY and TOCSY NMR data and then theseidentified spin systems were sequentially assigned based on the NOEconnectivities. All of the spin systems were observed in the NH regionof the TOCSY spectrum with a mixing time of 70 ms (500 MHz TOCSYexperiment) or 71.28 ms (800 MHz TOCSY experiment). Spectral assignmentwas carried out by a combination of TOCSY and NOESY spectra startingfrom the resonance signals of valine and alanine. The spin systems ofthe valine and alanine residues were assigned based on the presence ofstrong NOEs between the NH protons of these amino acids to theircorresponding side chain (i.e., Cβ-methyl of alanine and Cβ and Cγ ofvaline) and from the TOCSY spectra. The proton chemical shifts wereobtained from the TOCSY spectra.

The ³JCαNH coupling constants were calculated using the method of Kimand Prestegard (J. Magn. Reson. 89:9-13, 1989) in which the anti-phaseCOSY patterns were produced by an F1-inphase COSY experiment. The COSYand TOCSY spectra were extended by linear prediction from 256 to 512points in the t1 dimension and zero-filling on two dimensions to obtaina final spectrum with a size of 32 k (F2) by 1K (F1). For each crosspeak, several (typically 5-10) traces along F1 were co-added to reducenoise prior to fitting, which was possible as a result of the in-phaseabsorption pattern of the cross peaks along the F1 dimension in the F1in-phase COSY spectra. In the fitting procedure, spectrum A wasgenerated by convoluting the COSY-type anti-phase absorption peaks withan in-phase stick doublet of separation Jtrial. Spectrum B was producedby convoluting the corresponding TOCSY multiplet with an anti-phasestick doublet of the same interval. The RMS value of the differencebetween spectrum A and B is minimum when Jtrial=³JCαNH.

For the conformational calculations of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10),N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81) and N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20), theNOE cross peaks were characterized as strong, medium or weak asdetermined from the number of contours and converted to distance upperbounds of 2.7, 3.7 and 5.0 angstroms respectively. However, a uniformdistance upper and lower bounds of 1.8-5.0 angstroms regardless of theNOE intensities was used in the initial structural calculations. ForN—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36), the intensity of the crosspeak wasestimated by integrating the crosspeak volume. In this case, the uniformdistance upper and lower bounds of 1.8-5.0 angstroms was maintained inall calculations and a ±5% range was assigned to each crosspeak volumesand used in the initial structural calculations. The NOE distances wererefined iteratively through a comparison of computed and experimentalNOEs at the various mixing times. This was performed in a manner similarto the PEPFLEX-II procedure (Wang et al., Techniques in ProteinChemistry IV, 1993, Evaluation of NMR Based Structure Determination forFlexible Peptides: Application to Desmopressin p. 569), except thatinitial NOE-based distances with very loose upper bounds (5 angstroms)were used to guarantee the generation of a more complete set ofconformations in agreement with experimental data. In the structurecalculations for N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36), the refinement wasachieved using both distance constraints and via automated NOE intensitycomparison. Dihedral-angle constraints were derived from the values ofthe ³JCαH coupling constants. A tolerance value of 40 degrees was addedto each of the dihedral angle constraints to account for theconformational flexibility of the peptide. Distance geometrycalculations were carried out using fixed bond lengths and bond anglesprovided in the ECEPP/2 database (Ni et al., Biochemistry31:11551-11557, 1989). The ω-angles were fixed at 180 degrees, but allother dihedral angles were varied during structure optimization.Structures with the lowest constraint violations were subjected toenergy minimization using a distance-restrained Monte Carlo method(Ripoll and Ni, Biopolymers 32:359-365, 1992; Ni, J. Magn. Reson.B106:147-155, 1995), and modified to include the ECEPP/3 force field (Niet al., J. Mol. Biol. 252:656-671, 1995). All ionizable groups weretreated as charged during constrained Monte Carlo minimization of theECEPP/3 energy. Electrostatic interactions among all charges werescreened by use of a distance-dependent dielectric to account for theabsence of solvent effects in conformational energy calculations. Inaddition, hydrogen-bonding interactions were reduced to 25% of the fullscale while van der Waals and electrostatic terms were kept to fullstrengths. These special treatments help to ensure that theconformational search was guided primarily by the experimental NMRconstraints and that the computed conformations were less biased by theempirical conformational energy parameters (Warder et al., FEBS Lett.411:19-26, 1997).

Low-energy conformations of the peptide from Monte Carlo calculationswere used in NOE simulations to identify proximate protons with noobservable NOEs and sets of distance upper bounds that warrantrecalibration. The refined set of NOE distances including distance lowerbounds derived from absent NOEs were used in the next cycles of MonteCarlo calculations until the resulting conformations produced simulatedNOE spectra close to those observed experimentally (Ning et al.,Biopolymers 34:1125-1137, 1994; Ni et al., J. Mol. Biol. 252:656-671,1995). Theoretical NOE spectra were calculated using a methyl groupcorrelation time of 25.0 μs and an overall correlation time of 1000.0 psbased on the molecular weight of the peptide and the experimentaltemperature (Cantor and Schimmel, Biophysical Chemistry, W. H. Freeman &Co., San Francisco, 1980). All candidate peptide conformations wereincluded with equal weights in an ensemble-averaged relaxation matrixanalysis of interconverting conformations (Ni and Zhu, J. Magn. Reson.B102:180-184, 1994). NOE simulations also incorporated parameters toaccount for the effects of incomplete relaxation decay of the protondemagnitizations (Ning et al., Biopolymers 34:1125-1137, 1994). Thecomputed NOE intensities were converted to the two-dimensional FID's(Ni, J. Magn. Reson. B106:147-155, 1995) by use of an in-house program,GFIDSJ, using the chemical shift assignments, estimated linewidths andcoupling constants for all resolved proton resonances. The programGFIDSJ converts the computed NOE intensities to the two-dimensionaltheoretical FIDs by inclusion of resonance splitting and peakintensities in lineshape calculation. The NMR parameters such aslineshape function, spectral width and proton assignments were suppliedto the program. Two-dimensional processing of the data converted thetheoretical FIDs to NOESY spectra. The following window functions wereused: shifted 90 degrees sine square along F2 and Kaiser window alongF1. Water suppression and baseline correction were not necessary.Calculated FIDs were converted to simulated NOESY spectra usingidentical processing procedures as used for the experimental NOE datasets.

These experiments allowed the determination of the 3-D conformation ofN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10). The high resolution molecular map of thepharmacophore of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) is shown in FIGS. 7A-7C.There are three low energy conformations, which are all depicted inFIGS. 7A-7C (Structure 1, Structure 2 and Structure 3). The co-ordinatesfor these three low energy conformations are given in Appendix 1.

NMR data collected in a similar manner for N—Ac—CHGVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:11)indicated that there was too much conformational freedom to be able todetermine a preferred 3-D structure.

The above process with the exceptions noted above was repeated forN—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81), N—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20) andN—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:36). The high resolution molecular map of thepharmacophore of N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81) is shown in FIGS.9A-9D, each of which depicts one of the four low energy conformations.The co-ordinates for these four low energy conformations are given inAppendix 2. The high resolution molecular map of the pharmacophore ofN—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20) is shown in FIGS. 20A-20D, each of whichdepicts one of the four low energy conformations. The co-ordinates forthese low energy conformations are given in Appendix 3. The highresolution molecular map of the pharmacophore of N—Ac—CSHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:) is shown in FIGS. 32A-32B, each of which depicts one of the lowenergy conformations. The co-ordinates for these low energyconformations are given in Appendix 4.

EXAMPLE 3 Identification of Peptidomimetics

This Example illustrates the use of cyclic peptide pharmacophores toidentify peptidomimetics.

Certain peptidomimetics were identified based on a visual inspection ofthe N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) pharmacophore. From FIGS. 8A and 8B(which compare the that the N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) pharmacophorewith the x-ray crystal structure of the HAV sequence in N-cadherin), itis apparent that the hydrophobic valine could be replaced with unnaturalamino acids carrying bulky groups, such as that found in compound 1(FIG. 11). This is expected to restrict rotation of the amide bonds, andpossibly eliminate the need for cyclization. Alternatively thehydrophobic valine residue can be incorporated into a cyclic rigidstructure such as that found in compounds 2 and 3 (FIG. 11).

EXAMPLE 4 Identification of Further Peptidomimetics

This Example illustrates the identification of peptidomimetics bycomparing the three-dimensional structure of a candidate compound with acyclic peptide pharmacophore.

The analysis of the solution conformation of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ indicatedthat a suitable peptidomimetic could be designed based on thecyclization shown in FIG. 12A. Compound 4 was designed and its lowenergy conformation determined using the CHARMM molecular mechanics andmolecular dynamics program. The TIP3P water model was used to representwater molecules. Superimposition of the low energy conformation ofcompound 4 and N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (FIG. 12C; SEQ ID NO:10) indicates thatthere is a good overlap between the crucial binding elements in thepeptidomimetic and N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10).

EXAMPLE 5 Identification of Non-Peptidyl Peptidomimetics

This Example illustrates the identification of non-peptidylpeptidomimetics by comparing the three-dimensional structures ofdatabases of candidate compounds with a cyclic peptide pharmacophore.

Within the database searches, the first three pharmacophore models usedwere the three three-dimensional structures of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:10), shown in FIGS. 7A-7C, as determined from its solution structure.

A total of five pharmacophore queries were derived from thesethree-dimensional structures (see FIGS. 14B and 14C). Two databases weresearched. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) 3D-database containsnearly half a million compounds that have been tested for activityagainst various forms of cancer. Three-dimensional structures weregenerated for each compound in this database using molecular modelling.The NCI database was converted to a 3D-database using the programCONCORD (R S Pearlman, Chem. Des. Auto. News 2:1-6, 1987) and Chem-X.Initially, 2D coordinates of each compound in the database wereconverted using CONCORD into 3D coordinates. It is of note that only asingle conformation was generated for each compound using the CONCORDprogram. The resulting 3D structures were used to generate a 3D-databaseusing the database-building module within the Chem-X program, andmultiple conformations were generated and stored in the database (Milneet al., J. Chem. Inf. Comput. Sci. 34:1219-1224, 1994).

The second database used was the Available Chemical Database (ACD),which contained 255,153 unique chemicals from 543 supplier catalogues,including about 50,000 compounds which are known drugs. The entire ACDdatabase was also converted into 3-D conformations for searching usingthe Chem-X program.

The Chem-X program, running on a Silicon Graphics Indigo2 R10000, wasused to carry out 3D-database pharmacophore searching. A maximum of 3million conformations for a single compound were searched. Searching wascarried out on both NCI and ACD databases. There were no significantstructural overlaps between the two databases. The actual pharmacophoresearch involved 3 steps. The first step was distance bit screening,which determined whether pair-wise distance constraints specified in thepharmacophore were met, using the distance information stored in thethree-dimensional database. After a compound passed the distance bitscreening step, the program next checked whether the compound meets thesubstructural requirements as specified in the pharmacophore query. Inthis step, all substructures specified in the model were required to bemet. After a compound passed this sub-structural check, it was finallysubjected to conformational analysis. In this step, conformations weregenerated and evaluated with regard to geometric requirements specifiedin the pharmacophore query. Compounds that had at least one conformationsatisfying the geometric requirements were considered ‘hits’ and wererecorded in a result database. Approximately five thousand compounds metthe requirements of the pharmacophore models. A number of additionalcriteria were used in the selection of the compounds for biologicalevaluation such as simple chemical structure, small molecular weight,nonpeptidyl, chemical structural diversity and sample availability.Applying these criteria, 269 compounds were selected as potentialcadherin inhibitors (FIGS. 15A-15BG; compounds 13-282).

A similar database search was performed using the pharmacophore queriesderived from the three-dimensional structures for N—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQID NO:81) (see FIG. 16). This search identified compounds 283-311 (FIGS.17A-17S).

A similar database search was performed using the pharmacophore queriesderived from the three-dimensional structures for N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:10) as illustrated in FIGS. 14B and 14C. This search identifiedcompounds 345-464 (FIGS. 21-23).

A similar database search was performed using the pharmacophore queries(FIG. 28) derived from the three-dimensional structures forN—Ac—CHAVC—Y—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:81). This search identified compounds465-481 (FIG. 29).

A similar database search was performed using the pharmacophore queries(FIG. 30) derived from the three-dimensional structures forN—Ac—CHAVDC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:20). This search identified compounds 482-593(FIGS. 31A-31AI).

EXAMPLE 6 Effects of Peptidomimetics on Neurite Outgrowth

This Example illustrates the effect selected non-peptidyl cadherinantagonists on neurite outgrowth.

Cell culture and neurite outgrowth assays. Co-cultures of cerebellarneurons on monolayers of control 3T3 cells and monolayers of transfected3T3 cells that express physiological levels of chick N-cadherin or humanL1 were established as previously described (Williams et al., Neuron13:583-594, 1994). In brief, 80,000 3T3 cells (control and transfected)were plated into individual chambers of an eight-chamber tissue cultureslide coated with polylysine and fibronectin and cultured in DMEM/10%FCS. After 24 hours, when confluent monolayers had formed, the mediumwas removed and 3000 cerebellar neurons isolated from post-natal day 2-3rats were plated into each well in SATO media (Doherty et al., Nature343:464-466, 1990) supplemented with 2% FCS. All of the test peptideswere added immediately before the neurons as a 2× stock prepared inSATO/2% FCS. The co-cultures were maintained for 16-18 hours, at whichtime they were fixed and immunostained for GAP-43, which is present onlyin the neurons and delineates the neuritic processes. The mean length ofthe longest neurite per cell was measured for 150-200 neurons sampled inreplicate cultures as previously described (Williams et al., Neuron13:583-594, 1994). The percentage inhibition of neurite outgrowth atvarious peptide concentrations was calculated as the average of at leastthree independent experiments. Dose-response curves were evaluated andthe EC₅₀ values determined.

All compounds tested are available commercially from Bionet ResearchLtd. (Cornwall, UK), Aldrich Chemical Co. Inc. (Milwaukee, Wis.) or RyanScientific Inc. (Isle of Palms, S.C.). They were dissolved in DMSO at aconcentration of 25 mg/mL and diluted with media to carry out the assay.

Effects of Peptidomimetics on N-cadherin function. The ability ofcertain of the non-peptidyl cadherin antagonists shown in FIGS. 11, 13,15A-15BG, 17A-17J, 18A-18E and 19A-19E to inhibit neurite outgrowth wastested as described above. As can be seen in Table 2, these compoundsare effective modulators of N-cadherin function. TABLE 2 PercentInhibition of Neurite Outgrowth by Representative PeptidomimeticsPercent Inhibition of Neurite Outgrowth Compound No. At 0.4 μg/mL At 2μg/mL At 10 μg/mL 59 95.6 65 85.5 181 61.8 13 52.4 70.0 25 35.0 95.3 7025.4 55.0 109 60.9 66 15.9 84.4 30 58.3 184 51.8 47 15.2 101.0 35 13.190.2 31 34.3 61.6 176 33.7 64.2

EXAMPLE 7 Use of Representative Peptidomimetics to Decrease ElectricalResistance Across MDCK Cells

This example illustrates the use of representative peptidomimetics todisrupt adhesion of MDCK cells as measured by a decrease in theelectrical resistance across the monolayer.

Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells were plated in Millicells(Millipore, Bedford, Mass.), at a density of 300,000 cells perMillicell, and cultured in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM;Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.) containing 5% fetal calf serum (Sigma, St. Louis,Mo.) until monolayers formed. Monolayers were exposed to the modulatingagent dissolved in medium. The electrical resistance was measured usingthe EVOM device (World Precision Instruments, Sarasota, Fla.). At thetime of measurement, fresh medium, with or without the modulating agent,may be added to the Millicells.

Table 3 provides the approximate ED₅₀ values for which variouspeptidomimetics were able to abolish electrical resistance across MDCKcell monolayers cultured for 18 hours in medium containing the variouspeptidomimetics. These results demonstrate the ability ofpeptidomimetics to inhibit the formation of tight junctions inepithelial cells. TABLE 3 Effects of Peptidomimetics on ElectricalResistance across MDCK Cell Monolayer Compound Number ED₅₀ (μg/ml) 764-8  84 10 102 10 101 10-40  103 10-40  65 40 82 50-100 86 50-100 8750-100 184 80-100

From the foregoing, it will be evident that although specificembodiments of the invention have been described herein for the purposeof illustrating the invention, various modifications may be made withoutdeviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, thepresent invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.

EXAMPLE 8 Identification of Thioether Analogues of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂

This Example illustrates the identification of three thioether analogues(FIGS. 24A-24C) of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10), designed by comparingthe three-dimensional NMR structures of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10)with the modeled 3D conformations of the thioethers.

Modeling studies were used to predict the conformations of potentialthioester analogues of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10). All the molecularmodeling studies were carried out using the QUANTA molecular modelingpackage and its associated molecular mechanics program CHARMM (Brooks,B. R.; Bruccoleri, R. E.; Olafson, B. D.; States, D. J.; Swaminathan,S.; Karplus, M. CHARMM: A program for macromolecular energy minimizationand dynamics calculations. J. Comput. Chem. 1983, 4, 187-217), runningon an SGI workstation with IRIX6.5.

The initial structures of the thioethers were built using the SequenceBuilder module within the QUANTA package. Each structure was then energyminimized. An adopted-basis Newton-Raphson algorithm, implemented in theCHARMM program, was used in the energy minimization. Energy wasminimized for 5000 steps, or until convergence, defined as an energygradient tolerance of 0.001 kcal mol⁻¹ Å⁻¹ or less. A constantdielectric was used throughout the calculation and set to either 1 tomimic the vacuum environment or 80 to mimic the water environment,respectively. The non-bonded cutoff distance was set to 14.0 Å. Ashifted smoothing function was used for the van der Waals interactionand a switch function for the electrostatic energy.

To properly sample the conformational space of these compounds,high-temperature (HT) molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was used. Inthe MD simulation, the system was heated to 1000K in a period of 10 psand equilibrated for 10 ps at 1000K. Finally, a constant temperaturedynamics simulation was performed for 10,000 ps at 1000K with a timestep of 0.001 ps. The simulation trajectory was recorded every 1000steps during the final 1000 ps simulations and a total of 1000conformers were recorded. A SHAKE algorithm was used to constrain bondsto hydrogen.

For each MD simulation, each of these 1000 conformers wasenergy-minimized. These energy-minimized conformers were clustered bycalculating the pair-wise RMS differences between structures using aleast square-fitting algorithm as implemented in the conformationalanalysis module in the QUANTA program. The conformer with the lowestenergy within each cluster was selected to represent the conformationalcluster and used to compare its molecular similarities with theexperimental NMR structures as seen in FIGS. 7A-7C.

In order to validate our modeling technique, molecular modeling was usedto predict the low energy 3D conformations of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:10). The calculated conformations were then compared to the solution3D conformations of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) obtained using the NMRtechniques described above. Two different criteria were used to clusterthe conformers. Either a RMA deviation of 2.0 Å for all heavy atom pairswas set as the criterion for clustering the conformers or a RMSdeviation of 1.5 Å for all heavy atoms in the HAV sequence was set asthe criterion for clustering the conformers. In each cluster, thelowest-energy conformer was selected to represent the cluster. Thepotential energy values as well as the energy difference between thecorresponding conformer and the lowest-energy conformer (global minimum)of all the conformers was calculated using the CHARMM program.

A total of 4 different groups of conformers were obtained forN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) due to both the use of two dielectricconstants and the two different clustering criteria. These are given inTables 4a-4d respectively: TABLE 4a Conformer group A of modeledN—Ac-CHAVC-NH₂ No Conformers E (kcal mol⁻¹) ΔE (kcal mol⁻¹) 1 124−186.68 10.32 2 163 −185.06 11.94 3 171 −197.00 .00 4 198 −187.46 9.54 527 −178.68 18.32 6 309 −184.39 12.61 7 510 −185.12 11.88 8 616 −193.923.08 9 765 −191.89 5.11 10 786 −189.66 7.34 11 792 −188.74 8.26 12 917−186.63 10.37Conformers in this table were energy-minimized using a dielectricconstant of 1, and clustered by calculating all pair-wise RMSdifferences among structures using least square fitting of all heavyatoms in the molecules. The criterion to cluster the conformers was setto be 2.0 Å for the RMS value. In each cluster, the lowest-energyconformer was selected to represent the cluster. The numbers in thesecond column were the serial number of the conformer in the cluster.Their# potential energy values as calculated using the CHARMM program werelisted in the 3rd column. ΔE was calculated as the energy differencebetween the corresponding conformer and the lowest-energy conformer(global minimum) of all the conformers.

TABLE 4b Conformer group B of modeled N—Ac-CHAVC-NH₂ No Conformers E(kcal mol⁻¹) ΔE (kcal mol⁻¹) 1 171 −197.00 .00 2 196 −192.63 4.37 3 261−181.65 15.35 4 296 −191.68 5.32 5 299 −184.24 12.76 6 333 −187.94 9.067 351 −184.56 12.44 8 480 −190.07 6.93 9 596 −180.44 16.56 10 62 −188.868.14 11 68 −178.94 18.06 12 73 −181.35 15.65 13 754 −185.70 11.30 14 786−189.66 7.34 15 82 −180.40 16.60 16 916 −176.08 20.92Conformers in this table were energy-minimized using a dielectricconstant of 1, and clustered by calculating all pair-wise RMSdifferences among structures using least square fitting of all heavyatoms in the HAV sequence of the molecules. The criterion to cluster theconformers was set to be 1.5 Å for the RMS value. In each cluster, thelowest-energy conformer was selected to represent the cluster. Thenumbers in the second column were the serial number of the conformer in# the cluster. Their potential energy values as calculated using theCHARMM program were listed in the 3rd column. ΔE was calculated as theenergy difference between the corresponding conformer and thelowest-energy conformer (global minimum) of all the conformers.

TABLE 4c Conformer group C of modeled N—Ac-CHAVC-NH₂ No Conformers E(kcal mol⁻¹) ΔE (kcal mol⁻¹) 1 168 −15.52 .00 2 196 −14.34 1.18 3 301−10.00 5.52 4 311 −10.24 5.28 5 331 −12.43 3.09 6 389 −9.25 6.27 7 404−8.93 6.59 8 423 −12.32 3.20 9 617 −14.48 1.04 10 739 −13.46 2.06Conformers in this table were energy-minimized using a dielectricconstant of 80, and clustered by calculating all pair-wise RMSdifferences among structures using least square fitting of all heavyatoms in the molecules. The criterion to cluster the conformers was setto be 2.0 Å for the RMS value. In each cluster, the lowest-energyconformer was selected to represent the cluster. The numbers in thesecond column were the serial number of the conformer in the cluster.Their# potential energy values as calculated using the CHARMM program werelisted in the 3rd column. ΔE was calculated as the energy differencebetween the corresponding conformer and the lowest-energy conformer(global minimum) of all the conformers.

TABLE 4d Conformer group D of modeled N—Ac-CHAVC-NH₂ No Conformers E(kcal mol⁻¹) ΔE (kcal mol⁻¹) 1 13 −12.14 3.38 2 166 −10.63 4.89 3 168−15.52 .00 4 196 −14.34 1.18 5 331 −12.43 3.09 6 344 −12.34 3.18 7 42−12.86 2.66 8 475 −14.36 1.16 9 617 −14.48 1.04 10 868 −13.33 2.19 11887 −10.54 4.98 12 979 −13.86 1.66 13 99 −6.04 9.48Conformers in this table were energy-minimized using a dielectricconstant of 80, and clustered by calculating all pair-wise RMSdifferences among structures using least square fitting of all heavyatoms in the HAV sequence of the molecules. The criterion to cluster theconformers was set to be 1.5 Å for the RMS value. In each cluster, thelowest-energy conformer was selected to represent the cluster. Thenumbers in the second column were the serial number of the conformer inthe# cluster. Their potential energy values as calculated using the CHARMMprogram were listed in the 3rd column. ΔE was calculated as the energydifference between the corresponding conformer and the lowest-energyconformer (global minimum) of all the conformers.

In Table 4e, the CHARMM energies of the 3 NMR solution conformations ofN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) are provided. Energies of the three NMRstructures of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) were first calculateddirectly without minimization and them with energy minimization. Againboth dielectric constants of 1 (to represent a vacuum) and 80 (torepresent a water environment) were used. As can be seen, the 3 NMRsolution structures have large energy differences. This is likely due toa difference in the force field used in the NMR structure calculationsand the CHARMM force field. After minimization the 3 structures havesimilar energies. TABLE 4e Energies of the NMR conformers ofN—Ac-CHAVC-NH₂ (kcal mol⁻¹). NMR solution As Is Minimized structure ε =80 ε = 1 ε = 80 ε = 1 1 15.36 −138.63 −11.26 −184.27 2 9.99 −143.31−11.51 −179.83 3 44.74 −117.62 −13.08 −185.80Energies of three NMR structures of N—Ac-CHAVC-NH₂ (SEQ ID NO: 10) werefirst calculated, as is, then minimized using CHARMM program. Adielectric constant (ε) was used throughout the calculation and set toeither 1 to mimic the vacuum environment or 80 to mimic the waterenvironment.

The conformers listed in Table 4a-d were compared to the NMR solutionstructures of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) and the results summarizedin Tables 5a-d. TABLE 5a Comparison between modeled (group A) and NMRstructures for N—Ac-CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO: 10). NMR Structure 1 NMRStructure 2 NMR Structure 3 No RMS E ΔE RMS E ΔE RMS E ΔE 1 2.10 −197.00.00 2.46 −187.46 9.54 2.07 −193.92 3.08 2 2.33 −178.68 18.32 2.46−178.68 18.32 2.18 −184.39 12.61 3 2.35 −193.92 3.08 2.52 −197.00 .002.33 −178.68 18.32 4 2.37 −184.39 12.61 2.55 −188.74 8.26 2.41 −187.469.54 5 2.43 −187.46 9.54 2.59 −193.92 3.08 2.48 −197.00 .00 6 2.53−185.12 11.88 2.62 −189.66 7.34 2.59 −191.89 5.11 7 2.57 −189.66 7.342.72 −184.39 12.61 2.96 −189.66 7.34 8 2.59 −191.89 5.11 2.73 −191.895.11 3.05 −188.74 8.26 9 2.62 −186.68 10.32 2.74 −185.12 11.88 3.07−186.68 10.32 10 2.68 −188.74 8.26 2.85 −186.68 10.32 3.10 −185.12 11.8811 3.17 −186.63 10.37 2.86 −186.63 10.37 3.29 −186.63 10.37 12 3.38−185.06 11.94 3.10 −185.06 11.94 3.36 −185.06 11.94Conformers in this table were compared to the different NMR solutionstructures of N—Ac-CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO: 10) RMS values were obtained bycomparing all heavy atoms in the molecules using least square fitting.The potential energy values of each conformer (E) and the energydifference (ΔE) between the corresponding conformer and thelowest-energy conformer (global minimum) of all the conformers were alsolisted in the table.

TABLE 5b Comparison between modeled (group B) and NMR structures forN—Ac-CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO: 10). NMR Structure 1 NMR Structure 2 NMRStructure 3 No RMS E ΔE RMS E ΔE RMS E ΔE 1 1.34 −181.65 15.35 1.45−184.24 12.76 1.35 −188.86 8.14 2 1.56 −187.94 9.06 1.74 −184.56 12.441.44 −181.65 15.35 3 1.61 −188.86 8.14 1.84 −181.65 15.35 1.44 −187.949.06 4 1.64 −184.24 12.76 1.86 −187.94 9.06 1.48 −197.00 .00 5 1.65−197.00 .00 1.90 −197.00 .00 1.68 −184.56 12.44 6 1.71 −184.56 12.441.91 −192.63 4.37 2.00 −190.07 6.93 7 1.85 −190.07 6.93 1.98 −180.4016.60 2.30 −184.24 12.76 8 2.20 −185.70 11.30 2.07 −190.07 6.93 2.45−185.70 11.30 9 2.27 −192.63 4.37 2.08 −176.08 20.92 2.53 −192.63 4.3710 2.28 −180.44 16.56 2.13 −188.86 8.14 2.61 −181.35 15.65 11 2.28−180.40 16.60 2.23 −185.70 11.30 2.64 −178.94 18.06 12 2.35 −189.66 7.342.29 −191.68 5.32 2.65 −180.44 16.56 13 2.46 −176.08 20.92 2.33 −189.667.34 2.74 −189.66 7.34 14 2.53 −191.68 5.32 2.37 −180.44 16.56 2.81−191.68 5.32 15 2.57 −178.94 18.06 2.40 −178.94 18.06 2.85 −176.08 20.9216 2.69 −181.35 15.65 2.62 −181.35 15.65 2.88 −180.40 16.60Conformers in this table were compared to the different NMR solutionstructures of N—Ac-CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO: 10) RMS values were obtained bycomparing all heavy atoms in the HAV sequence in the molecules usingleast square fitting. The potential energy values of each conformer (E)and the energy difference (ΔE) between the corresponding conformer andthe lowest-energy conformer (global minimum) of all the conformers werealso listed in the table.

TABLE 5C Comparison between modeled (group C) and NMR structures forN—Ac-CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO: 10). NMR Structure 1 NMR Structure 2 NMRStructure 3 No RMS E ΔE RMS E ΔE RMS E ΔE 1 1.85 −15.52 .00 1.93 −13.462.06 2.15 −15.52 .00 2 2.08 −13.46 2.06 2.35 −15.52 .00 2.26 −14.48 1.043 2.32 −12.43 3.09 2.58 −14.34 1.18 2.35 −12.43 3.09 4 2.54 −14.34 1.182.59 −12.32 3.20 2.56 −14.34 1.18 5 2.54 −14.48 1.04 2.66 −14.48 1.042.80 −13.46 2.06 6 2.60 −9.25 6.27 2.81 −12.43 3.09 2.82 −8.93 6.59 72.77 −12.32 3.20 2.89 −10.00 5.52 3.03 −9.25 6.27 8 2.79 −10.00 5.522.96 −9.25 6.27 3.09 −10.24 5.28 9 2.96 −8.93 6.59 2.98 −10.24 5.28 3.11−10.00 5.52 10 3.12 −10.24 5.28 3.03 −8.93 6.59 3.36 −12.32 3.20Conformers in this table were compared to the different NMR solutionstructures of N—Ac-CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO: 10) RMS values were obtained bycomparing all heavy atoms in the molecules using least square fitting.The potential energy values of each conformer (E) and the energydifference (ΔE) between the corresponding conformer and thelowest-energy conformer (global minimum) of all the conformers were alsolisted in the table.

TABLE 5d Comparison between modeled (group D) and NMR structures forN—Ac-CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO: 10). NMR Structure 1 NMR Structure 2 NMRStructure 3 No RMS E ΔE RMS E ΔE RMS E ΔE 1 1.30 −15.52 .00 1.07 −13.861.66 1.12 −15.52 .00 2 1.38 −12.43 3.09 1.49 −12.86 2.66 1.42 −12.433.09 3 1.47 −14.36 1.16 1.50 −14.36 1.16 1.84 −14.34 1.18 4 1.68 −14.481.04 1.71 −14.48 1.04 1.88 −14.36 1.16 5 1.78 −13.86 1.66 1.75 −12.433.09 1.92 −14.48 1.04 6 1.87 −12.86 2.66 1.81 −10.54 4.98 1.99 −12.862.66 7 1.92 −12.34 3.18 1.90 −15.52 .00 2.36 −12.34 3.18 8 1.99 −14.341.18 1.94 −14.34 1.18 2.44 −13.86 1.66 8 2.21 −10.54 4.98 1.96 −12.343.18 2.51 −10.54 4.98 10 2.31 −13.33 2.19 2.00 −13.33 2.19 2.70 −10.634.89 11 2.37 −10.63 4.89 2.02 −10.63 4.89 2.78 −12.14 3.38 12 2.67−12.14 3.38 2.28 −12.14 3.38 2.87 −13.33 2.19 13 2.71 −6.04 9.48 2.31−6.04 9.48 3.12 −6.04 9.48Conformers in this table were compared to the different NMR solutionstructures of N—Ac-CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO: 10) RMS values were obtained bycomparing all heavy atoms in the HAV sequence in the molecules usingleast square fitting. The potential energy values of each conformer (E)and the energy difference (ΔE) between the corresponding conformer andthe lowest-energy conformer (global minimum) of all the conformers werealso listed in the table.

As can be seen from Table 5a, the RMS values of the modeled structurewith the lowest energy compared to the 3 NMR solution structures usingall the heavy atoms in the structures are 2.10, 2.52, and 2.48 Å,respectively. The lowest RMS values of the modeled structures comparedto the 3 NMR solution structures are 2.10, 2.46, and 2.07 Å,respectively. These results indicate that the modeled structures whenusing a dielectric constant of 1 during the minimization process have areasonable agreement with the NMR solution structures for N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂(SEQ ID NO:10).

From our structure-activity relationship studies, it is known that theHAV residues in N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) likely represent the mostcrucial binding elements. Therefore, it is probably more meaningful tocompare the modeled structures with the NMR solution structures usingthe HAV residues only. As can be seen from Table 5b, the RMS values ofthe modeled structure with the lowest energy compared to the 3 NMRsolution structures using the heavy atoms in the HAV residues are 1.65,1.90, and 1.48 Å, respectively. The lowest RMS values of the modeledstructures compared to the 3 NMR solution structures are 1.34, 1.45, and1.35 Å, respectively. These results indicate that the HAV residues ofthe modeled structures superimpose on the HAV residues of the NMRsolution structures very well.

A dielectric constant of 1 mimics the vacuum environment but the NMRstructures of the peptide was determined in aqueous solution. To mimicthe aqueous solution environment, a dielectric constant of 80 was usedin energy-minimization. As can be seen from Table 5c, the RMS values ofthe modeled structure with the lowest energy compared to the 3 NMRsolution structures using all the heavy atoms in the structures are1.85, 2.35, and 2.15 Å, respectively. The lowest RMS values of themodeled structures compared to the 3 NMR solution structures are 1.85,1.93, and 2.15 Å, respectively. As compared to Table 5a, the modeledstructures using a dielectric constant of 80 during minimization areoverall more similar to the NMR solution structures than the modeledstructures using a dielectric constant of 1 during minimization. As canbe seen from Table 5d, the RMS values of the modeled structure with thelowest energy compared to the 3 NMR solution structures using the heavyatoms in the HAV residues are 1.30, 1.90, and 1.12 Å, respectively. Thelowest RMS values of the modeled structures compared to the 3 NMRsolution structures are 1.30, 1.07, and 1.12 Å, respectively. Theseresults showed that conformations of the HAV residues between modeledstructures using a dielectric constant of 80 during minimization and theNMR solution structures are very similar.

In summary, the modeled structures of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) aresimilar to the NMR solution structures and more similar structures wereobtained when a dielectric constant of 80 was used in minimization.Therefore, for modeling of the thioether analogues a dielectric constantof 80 was employed for all the energy-minimizations.

Based on the modeling results obtained for N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:10), it was believed that reasonably accurate solution structures ofthe thioethers depicted in FIGS. 24A-C (CH₂COHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:94)could be obtained using a molecular modeling approach. The resultsshould be more accurate when a dielectric constant of 80 is used inminimization. Therefore, using the same protocol (HTMD, minimizationusing a dielectric constant of 80, followed by cluster analysis), theconformations of 3 thioether analogs (FIGS. 24A-C) of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂(SEQ ID NO:10) have been studied in an effort to improve compoundstability while still retaining the activity.

All the heavy atoms in the HAV residues were used for the calculation ofthe pair-wise RMS value between two structures and the threshold valuefor the RMS used was set as 1.5 Å. A total of 11 conformational clusterswere obtained for CH₂COHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:94) The conformer number ofeach representative conformation for each cluster, the potential energyfor each representative conformation, and the energy difference betweeneach conformer and the conformer with the lowest energy are provided inTable 6. The results of structural comparison between these 11conformers for CH₂COHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:94) and N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:10) are provided in Table 7. As can be seen, the RMS values betweenthe conformer with the lowest energy and the 3 NMR solution structuresof N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) using all the heavy atoms in the HAVresidues are 1.42, 1.89 and 1.26 Å, respectively. The structure of theglobal minimum of CH₂COHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:94) is shown in FIG. 25 a.The best RMS values between all the 11 conformers and the 3 NMR solutionstructures of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) using all the heavy atoms inthe HAV residues are 1.12, 0.85, 0.98 Å, respectively. The structureswith best RMS values are shown in FIGS. 15B and 25C, respectively. It isof note that the conformers with best RMS values don't have much higherpotential energies, all within 2.0 kcal/mol from the global minimum.These results suggest that the structures of thioether CH₂COHAVC—NH₂(SEQ ID NO:94) have reasonably good overlaps with the 3 solutionstructures of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) in terms of the conformationof the HAV residues and indicate that CH₂COHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:94) maybe a good mimetic of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10). TABLE 6 Energies ofthe conformers of the thioether CH₂COHAVC-NH₂ (kcal mol⁻¹) No ConformersE ΔE 1 50 −5.38 3.15 2 502 −1.38 7.15 3 579 −6.85 1.68 4 594 −7.86 .67 5768 −7.80 .73 6 78 −8.53 .00 7 793 −5.00 3.53 8 805 0.75 9.28 9 9 −5.383.15 10 908 −3.78 4.75 11 931 −7.46 1.07Conformers in this table were energy-minimized using a dielectricconstant of 80, and clustered by calculating all pair-wise RMSdifferences among structures using least square fitting of all heavyatoms in the HAV sequence in the molecules. The criterion to cluster theconformers was set to be 1.5 Å for the RMS value. In each cluster, thelowest-energy conformer was selected to represent the cluster. Thenumbers in the second column were the serial number of the conformer inthe# cluster. Their potential energy values as calculated using the CHARMMprogram were listed in the 3rd column. ΔE was calculated as the energydifference between the corresponding conformer and the lowest-energyconformer (global minimum) of all the conformers.

TABLE 7 Comparison between modeled thioether CH₂COHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:94) and NMR structures of N—Ac-CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO: 10). NMR Structure1 NMR Structure 2 NMR Structure 3 No RMS E ΔE RMS E ΔE RMS E ΔE 1 1.86−5.38 3.15 1.36 −5.38 3.15 2.21 −5.38 3.15 2 2.43 −1.38 7.15 2.11 −1.387.15 2.42 −1.38 7.15 3 1.12 −6.85 1.68 0.85 −6.85 1.68 1.40 −6.85 1.68 41.25 −7.86 .67 1.77 −7.86 .67 0.98 −7.86 .67 5 1.50 −7.80 .73 1.28 −7.80.73 1.67 −7.80 .73 6 1.42 −8.53 .00 1.89 −8.53 .00 1.26 −8.53 .00 7 2.50−5.00 3.53 2.17 −5.00 3.53 2.80 −5.00 3.53 8 1.93 0.75 9.28 1.53 0.759.28 2.20 0.75 9.28 9 1.99 −5.38 3.15 1.34 −5.38 3.15 2.37 −5.38 3.15 101.52 −3.78 4.75 1.39 −3.78 4.75 1.75 −3.78 4.75 11 1.31 −7.46 1.07 1.64−7.46 1.07 1.43 −7.46 1.07Conformers in this table were compared to the different NMR solutionstructures of N—Ac-CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO: 10) RMS values were obtained bycomparing all heavy atoms in the HAV sequence in the molecules usingleast square fitting. The potential energy values of each conformer (E)and the energy difference (ΔE) between the corresponding conformer andthe lowest-energy conformer (global minimum) of all the conformers werealso listed in the table.

For the second thioether analogue CH₂COGHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:95), a totalof 13 conformational clusters were obtained. The conformer number ofeach representative conformation for each cluster, the potential energyfor each representative conformation, and the energy difference betweeneach conformer and the conformer with the lowest energy are provided inTable 8. The results of structural comparison between these 13conformers for CH₂COGHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:95) and N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:10) are provided in Table 9. As can be seen, the RMS values betweenthe conformer with the lowest energy and the 3 NMR solution structuresof N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) using all the heavy atoms in the HAVresidues are 1.40, 1.85 and 1.18 Å, respectively. The structure of theglobal minimum of CH₂COGHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:95) is shown in FIG. 26A.The best RMS values between all the 13 conformers and the 3 NMR solutionstructures of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) using all the heavy atoms inthe HAV residues are 1.21, 0.95 and 0.95 Å, respectively. The structureswith best RMS values are shown in FIGS. 26B and 26C, respectively. Theseconformers with best RMS values don't have much higher potentialenergies, all within 4.0 kcal/mol from the global minimum. These resultssuggest that the structures of thioether CH₂COGHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:95)also have reasonably good overlaps with the 3 solution structures ofN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) in terms of the conformation of the HAVresidues and indicate that CH₂COGHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:95) may be a goodmimetic of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10). TABLE 8 Energies of theconformers of the thioether CH₂COGHAVC-NH₂ (kcal mol⁻¹) No Conformers EΔE 1 1 −11.51 1.16 2 132 −12.67 .00 3 229 −10.91 1.76 4 293 −10.09 2.585 31 −10.21 2.46 6 429 −10.74 1.93 7 506 −10.41 2.26 8 566 −11.85 .82 969 −9.07 3.60 10 699 −9.44 3.23 11 712 −12.00 .67 12 774 −10.76 1.91 13976 −10.66 2.01Conformers in this table were energy-minimized using a dielectricconstant of 80, and clustered by calculating all pair-wise RMSdifferences among structures using least square fitting of all heavyatoms in the HAV sequence in the molecules. The criterion to cluster theconformers was set to be 1.5 Å for the RMS value. In each cluster, thelowest-energy conformer was selected to represent the cluster. Thenumbers in the second column were the serial number of the conformer inthe# cluster. Their potential energy values as calculated using the CHARMMprogram were listed in the 3rd column. ΔE was calculated as the energydifference between the corresponding conformer and the lowest-energyconformer (global minimum) of all the conformers.

TABLE 9 Comparison between modeled thioether CH₂COGHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:95) and NMR structures of N—Ac-CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO: 10). NMR Structure1 NMR Structure 2 NMR Structure 3 No RMS E ΔE RMS E ΔE RMS E ΔE 1 1.34−11.51 1.16 1.63 −11.51 1.16 0.95 −11.51 1.16 2 1.40 −12.67 .00 1.85−12.67 .00 1.18 −12.67 .00 3 2.38 −10.91 1.76 2.14 −10.91 1.76 2.57−10.91 1.76 4 1.47 −10.09 2.58 1.75 −10.09 2.58 1.21 −10.09 2.58 5 1.46−10.21 2.46 1.92 −10.21 2.46 1.40 −10.21 2.46 6 1.91 −10.74 1.93 1.85−10.74 1.93 2.19 −10.74 1.93 7 1.92 −10.41 2.26 1.52 −10.41 2.26 2.29−10.41 2.26 8 1.52 −11.85 .82 1.05 −11.85 .82 1.74 −11.85 .82 9 1.21−9.07 3.60 0.95 −9.07 3.60 1.47 −9.07 3.60 10 2.64 −9.44 3.23 2.31 −9.443.23 2.68 −9.44 3.23 11 1.88 −12.00 .67 1.35 −12.00 .67 2.17 −12.00 .6712 1.79 −10.76 1.91 1.78 −10.76 1.91 2.07 −10.76 1.91 13 2.02 −10.662.01 2.10 −10.66 2.01 2.39 −10.66 2.01Conformers in this table were compared to the different NMR solutionstructures of N—Ac-CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO: 10) RMS values were obtained bycomparing all heavy atoms in the HAV sequence in the molecules usingleast square fitting. The potential energy values of each conformer (E)and the energy difference (ΔE) between the corresponding conformer andthe lowest-energy conformer (global minimum) of all the conformers werealso listed in the table.

For CH₂CONHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:96), a total of 12 conformational clusterswere obtained. The conformer number of each representative conformationfor each cluster, the potential energy for each representativeconformation, and the energy difference between each conformer and theconformer with the lowest energy are provided in Table 10. The resultsof structural comparison between these 12 conformers for CH₂CONHAVC—NH₂(SEQ ID NO:96) and N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) are provided in Table11. As can be seen, the RMS values between the conformer with the lowestenergy and the 3 NMR solution structures of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ IDNO:10) using all the heavy atoms in the HAV residues are 1.25, 1.20 and1.28 Å, respectively. The structure of the global minimum ofCH₂CONHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:96) is shown in FIG. 27A. The best RMS valuesbetween all the 12 conformers and the 3 NMR solution structures ofN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) using all the heavy atoms in the HAVresidues are 1.18, 1.20 and 1.24 Å, respectively. The structures withbest RMS values are shown in FIGS. 27B and 27C, respectively. Theseconformers with best RMS values don't have much higher potentialenergies, all within 2.0 kcal/mol from the global minimum. It is of notethat for CH₂CONHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:96), the global minimum has an RMSvalue, either the best or very close to the best, in comparison to the 3NMR solution structures. These results suggest that the structures ofthioether CH₂CONHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:96) also have reasonably goodoverlaps with the 3 solution structures of peptide #1 in terms of theconformation of the HAV residues and indicate that CH₂CONHAVC—NH₂ (SEQID NO:96) may be a good mimetic of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂. (SEQ ID NO:10).

In summary, these 3 analogs all have reasonably good structural overlapswith the 3 NMR solution structures of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10) interms of the HAV conformation, suggesting that they may also be able toachieve similar activity to N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:10). TABLE 10Energies of the conformers of the thioether CH₂CONHAVC-NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:96) (kcal mol⁻¹). No Conformers E ΔE 1 102 −6.11 7.23 2 130 −12.11 1.233 143 −13.34 .00 4 297 −11.58 1.76 5 312 −12.42 .92 6 455 −10.84 2.50 7769 −9.48 3.86 8 796 −11.50 1.84 9 886 −8.56 4.78 10 941 −8.66 4.68 11959 −12.95 .39 12 97 −7.48 5.86Conformers in this table were energy-minimized using a dielectricconstant of 80, and clustered by calculating all pair-wise RMSdifferences among structures using least square fitting of all heavyatoms in the HAV sequence in the molecules. The criterion to cluster theconformers was set to be 1.5 Å for the RMS value. In each cluster, thelowest-energy conformer was selected to represent the cluster. Thenumbers in the second column were the serial number of the conformer# in the cluster. Their potential energy values as calculated using theCHARMM program were listed in the 3rd column. ΔE was calculated as theenergy difference between the corresponding conformer and thelowest-energy conformer (global minimum) of all the conformers.

TABLE 11 Comparison between modeled thioether CH₂CONHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO:96) and NMR structures of N—Ac-CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO: 10). NMR Structure1 NMR Structure 2 NMR Structure 3 No RMS E ΔE RMS E ΔE RMS E ΔE 1 2.12−6.11 7.23 1.97 −6.11 7.23 2.50 −6.11 7.23 2 1.18 −12.11 1.23 1.35−12.11 1.23 1.65 −12.11 1.23 3 1.25 −13.34 .00 1.20 −13.34 .00 1.28−13.34 .00 4 1.94 −11.58 1.76 1.35 −11.58 1.76 2.26 −11.58 1.76 5 2.30−12.42 .92 1.89 −12.42 .92 2.59 −12.42 .92 6 1.74 −10.84 2.50 1.93−10.84 2.50 1.37 −10.84 2.50 7 1.87 −9.48 3.86 1.87 −9.48 3.86 1.89−9.48 3.86 8 1.97 −11.50 1.84 1.53 −11.50 1.84 2.27 −11.50 1.84 9 2.64−8.56 4.78 2.30 −8.56 4.78 2.71 −8.56 4.78 10 2.18 −8.66 4.68 2.03 −8.664.68 2.45 −8.66 4.68 11 1.41 −12.95 .39 1.90 −12.95 .39 1.24 −12.95 .3912 2.66 −7.48 5.86 2.62 −7.48 5.86 2.87 −7.48 5.86Conformers in this table were compared to the different NMR solutionstructures of N—Ac-CHAVC—NH₂ (SEQ ID NO: 10) RMS values were obtained bycomparing all heavy atoms in the HAV sequence in the molecules usingleast square fitting. The potential energy values of each conformer (E)and the energy difference (ΔE) between the corresponding conformer andthe lowest-energy conformer (global minimum) of all the conformers werealso listed in the table.

EXAMPLE 9 Synthesis of Thioether Analogues of N—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂

The solid phase synthesis of the three thioether analogues ofN—Ac—CHAVC—NH₂ was using Fmoc chemistry on a Rink amide AM resin(4-(2′,4′-Dimethoxyphenyl-Fmoc-aminomethyl)-phenoxyacetamidoaminomethyl,0.65 meq/g, 1% DVB Grain size 200-400 mesh). In the synthesis of allanalogues the cysteine and the imidazole group of the histidine residueare protected with the triphenylmethyl group (trityl). For the analoguecontaining asparagine, the side chain is also protected with the tritylgroup. Two coupling procedures were used for the addition of each aminoacid to ensure complete coupling (DIC (N,N′-diisopropylcarbodiimide) andHBTU (O-(benzotriazol-1-yl)-N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyluroniumhexafluorophosphate)). The coupling reactions were initiated by adding asolution (1.170 mL) containing 6 equivalents each of the amino acid to asuspension of the resin in NMP (1.00 mL). This was followed by theaddition of 6 equivalents of HOBt (0.390 mL) and DIC (1.170 mL)solutions. The suspension was mixed for one hour and the resin wash withDMF. The HBTU coupling reaction was initiated by adding a solution(1.170 mL) containing 6 equivalents each of the amino acid to asuspension of the resin in NMP (1.00 mL) followed by the addition of 6equivalents of the HBTU contain (6 equivalents of HOBt solution) (1.170mL) and 12 equivalents of DIPEA (0.584 mL). The suspension was stirredfor 30 minutes and them washed. After removal of the final Fmocprotecting group, the resin was coupled to bromoaceticacid. The couplingreaction to bromoacetic acid was initiated by the addition of 4equivalents of bromoacetic acid (1.170 mL, in 25% DCM/DMF) and 8equivalents of DIC (1.170 mL, in NMP) to a suspension of the resin inNMP (1.00 mL). The suspension was mixed for two hours and then washedwith DMF and methanol. Cleavage from the resin was carried out bysuspending the resin in a cleavage cocktail (10 mL, consisting of 5% TES(triethyl silane) in TFA) with occasional shaking for 4 hours. The resinwas then filtered and washed with dichloromethane. The solvent volumewas reduced under vacuum (water aspirator) to approximately 2 mL and thecrude product precipitated with the addition of cold ether. Thiscleavage procedure removes all protecting groups and provide crudelinear products. A solution of the crude linear peptide was addeddropwise to a stirring solution (250 mL) of water pH 8.0 (20% aqueoussolution of triethylamine was used to adjust the pH using a pH meter).While adding the peptide, the pH of the solution was adjusted to bearound 8 using the same 20% aqueous solution of triethylamine. After theaddition of all the peptide the solution was kept stirring at pH 8 andthe cyclization was monitored by HPLC. Upon completion of thecyclization, the solution was acidified with acetic acid andlyophilized. The crude cyclic product was purified by gel filtrationfollowed by HPLC.

1.-183. (canceled)
 184. A method for modulating cellular adhesion,comprising contacting a cell with a cell adhesion modulating agenthaving the following structure:


185. A method according to claim 184, wherein the method for modulatingcell is a method for modulating N-cadherin mediated cell adhesion. 186.The method according to claim 184, wherein the cell adhesion modulatingagent is present within a composition comprising a physiologicallyacceptable carrier.
 187. A method according to claim 184, wherein themodulating agent is linked to a drug.
 188. A method according to claim184, wherein the modulating agent is linked to a targeting agent.